Far Away Lands
by poe1911
Summary: Xander falls through a portal and ends up in a land unlike any he's ever seen before.
1. Chapter 1

OUT OF AFRICA

It wouldn't be fair to say that Xander liked Africa. Like is too simple a word and Africa is not a simple place. The emotions it stirred were vast and complex, like the continent itself; and refused to be contained or expressed in simple terms. It would be fair to say that Xander had come into his own while in Africa. Free from the influence of his family, friends and reminders of those who had told him he was worthless or inadequate; Xander had emerged from behind his self deprecating smile and found that he could be a leader. He had started in South Africa and worked his way north, finding slayers and sending them on to London to be trained; that was until he met Khani.

Met really isn't the right word, it would be more accurate to say that he rescued her from hell on earth. He had discovered the girl in Somalia, near where the country borders on Ethiopia and Kenya; one of those thankless regions where men constantly fight over pointless lines on a map. She was tiny, and young for a slayer, and she was surrounded by five men who were taking turns fighting her. Whenever it was clear that she was getting the upper hand on one of them, another would take his place. It was clear that she was holding her own, but it was also just as clear that she was tiring and soon she would fall; and to Xander, that was simply unacceptable. While in Africa, Xander had learned the simple truth that not all monsters are demons. Up until now he had not acted on that revelation, but it was obvious that there was only one way that he and the girl were walking out of this alive and that was if the men surrounding her were dead.

Drawing his Colt M1911, Xander put double taps in the heads of two of the men before the others even knew that someone else was there. They all reached for weapons but Xander gave a practical demonstration why you don't bring knives to a gunfight. In the next three seconds, the other men were down; two dead and one dying. Seeing her tormenters down, the girl picked up a knife and was about to finish the last one off, but Xander stopped her. In his pidgin French, he told her that she was too good to soil her hands with the blood of animals like these. She looked at him, as though she could hear the words but not quite understand what he was saying; but she also stopped moving. Seeing this, Xander holstered his pistol and coming forward, pulled his K-Bar knife and efficiently slashed the man's throat. He then cleaned it, stood up and introduced himself to the girl.

She informed him that her name was Khani and that she was thirteen or there abouts. Unfortunately, she couldn't quite manage Xander, so now Xander was reduced to Xana; which was way too close to Xena for his taste. And another problem soon cropped up, Khani wouldn't leave. Xander tried to explain that she was to go to London, to be with others like herself so that she could learn how to do what she was born to do; how to fight better and survive the life that had been thrust upon her. She had been angry to find out that he was indirectly responsible for what had happened, but not so angry that she would be without him.

While he was on the phone with Giles, trying to figure out what to do with the girl, Xander was reminded of another piece of wisdom; the bigger the jerk, the more friends he has.

The two of them escaped the town and the horde of men howling for their blood, but it seemed like everywhere they went, there was some relative or blood brother to one of the men that Xander had killed all of whom seemed to become aware of the pair as soon as they walked into town. Xander was reduced to killing more people to keep himself and Khani alive, which just cascaded the 'jerk effect'. Pretty soon it seemed like that the entirety of the male population of western Somalia was focused on capturing and/or killing a one eyed white man and the girl that traveled with him. It soon got to the point where Xander realized that they would have to get back into Kenya to get away from the constant harassment and attacks.

That was easy enough for him, his Council passport gave him what amounted to diplomatic immunity and the ability to jump borders at a whim, but Khani was another matter. But with a little luck, and that universal passport, money; they were soon in Kenya and not looking over their shoulders constantly. All of this had brought the two closer together and now Xander realized that he couldn't bear to send the girl off; unfortunately he couldn't come up with a resolution. As long as she was with him, his travel would be limited and his mission wouldn't be completed. This was when Giles demonstrated why he was the head of the Council.

"Just stay in Kenya."

"What, but the rest of Africa. . . . .," Xander started.

"Will eventually require a permanent presence, will it not?"

"Well sure, but . . ."

"And is Kenya sufficiently developed and centrally located so that it would be fairly simple to deploy a team anywhere on the continent?"

"Relatively, but . . . ."

"So Kenya would be an excellent location for the African headquarters?"

"Sure it would, but . . . ."

"I'll have Andrew send you the location of an old Council contact in the country, she can help you with the logistics and smooth over any diplomatic troubles you might have."

"Well thanks, but . . ."

"Excellent, Xander I want you to know how much I appreciate this. The headquarters here is getting rather crowded, and is getting more so now that we have more resources available to us. I'll send a couple of other teams to Africa and they can direct any Slayers they find to you. Just let me know where you set things up so that I can pass that along."

Finally realizing that he was caught, Xander just accepted what had happened; with the understanding that the next time he was in England, Giles would find something really horrible at the bottom of his tea cup. He sighed, "Sure Giles, I'll let you know," and hung up. He turned to Khani, who was wearing the ultimate shit-eating grin; Xander had no doubt she'd heard and understood the whole thing. "Alright kid, it looks like it's just you and me for now. Let's go find this person and get things started."

Xander's contact turned out to be a woman, Lady Dalharn by name. Her husband had long been the British Ambassador to Kenya and had retired there after he'd left the diplomatic service. He had also been a member of the Council and being someone who didn't believe in secrets between spouses, had told his wife all about the hidden world and the young girls that kept it in check. Xander and Khani had found Lady Dalharn's home easily enough, it was located just outside Eldoret in the western part of the country. Lady Dalharn opened the door before they could even knock. She was a striking woman, Xander guessed that she was in her seventies; tall, with a regal bearing and her dark hair liberally streaked with grey. "You must be Alexander, and this is your charge?" she asked, looking at Khani.

"Yes ma'am," Xander answered. "This is Khani."

Silently, she stood back from the open door, inviting them in without actually saying so.

As they stepped into the front room, both Xander and Khani were struck dumb. Both were fascinated by the vast array of weaponry that decorated the walls. Lady Dalharn gave a bit of a chuckle when she saw their fascination. "My husband collected weapons from all over the world, most were sold after he died, but these were his favorites and I couldn't bear to part with any of them. May I offer you some tea," she asked, taking the pair's attention away from the implements of death on the walls.

"Yeah, tea would be great," Xander replied; pulling his attention away from some of the most beautiful weapons he'd ever seen.

"Excellent," Lady Dalharn answered. "Then while we're waiting for it, perhaps you could tell me everything that's happened since the Council was destroyed and why you need my help."

"Okay," Xander replied. "But I'll warn you, it's a pretty long story."

"We've got time," the Lady answered with a smile.

And with that, Xander launched into the battle with the First and all that had happened since then. "And since we had to get out of Somalia, Giles suggested I come here and start working on setting up a permanent presence here on the Continent;" he told her, finishing up.

The hour had grown late, and the shadows were lengthening in the dooryard. Despite the length of time that had passed, Lady Dalharn had said nothing and had barely moved beyond occasionally sipping her tea. Finally, after a minute or two of silence, she leaned forward. "That is a most remarkable story young man, and you've given me much to think about. Supper is nearly ready, and afterwards you two can stay here for as long as you need to. As for myself, well I've got decisions to make."

Dinner was probably the best thing Xander had eaten since he'd been in Africa. As for Khani, she had never been in a situation where she'd actually had enough to eat; it was a remarkable sensation for her. Dinner conversation was light, and didn't touch on any serious subjects. After dinner, the Lady excused herself and the housekeeper showed Xander and Khani to their room. Much to Xander's dismay, Khani insisted on him taking the bed, while she slept on the thick Persian rug, guarding him.

It took Xander a few minutes to realize why he felt so off the next morning. It finally occurred to him that it was because he didn't have to be up and moving before the crack of dawn and that he had nothing in particular to accomplish that day. In essence, both he and Khani had the day off, and neither really knew what to do with it. They took turns in the bathroom, luxuriating in the fact that there was hot water and plenty of it. Then they went and found breakfast. It was just them because Lady Dalharn was indisposed, or so they were told. After breakfast, they worked on some combat training, followed by a bit of sparring that left Xander bruised. Then it was lunch and time to check out the house's library. It was as extensive as Xander would expect from an associate of the Council, with a peculiar emphasis on dimensional travel. There were also the usual tomes on different demon species, so Xander worked with Khani on identification and how to kill several of the more common species. It was almost time for tea when Lady Dalharn joined them in the library.

"After my husband's passing, I was hoping for a quiet sunset to my life; but you knocked those plans off kilter Alexander Harris."

"Sorry about that," Xander replied.

"Don't be, I would have been bored silly very soon. Now, you have asked me for help, and I will help you. I own a property near here, you could call it a plantation or ranch or what have you. Suffice it to say that there is a lot of room and several buildings. Now the buildings will need work before they're habitable again, but that shouldn't be too difficult for a man of your talents. There is a well for water and a generator for power and even room for an airstrip if you choose. There is also a small tribe of Mutawah Demons that live in the hills at the back of the property. They are peaceful and live there under my protection so if that is unacceptable you can pack it in right now."

"No, that won't be a problem."

"Excellent, then we need to go and examine the buildings so that you know what is needed to make them livable, and then tomorrow we can start making arrangements."

The work got going, and sooner than anyone had expected, the African Branch of the Council had a permanent base. The Mutawah's were a bit nervous about all the slayer activity that would soon be in their back-yard, so to speak, but Xander possessed unexpected depths of diplomacy and soon had things smoothed to the point where the demons were working openly on the plantation. He had also spoken to several of the local Witch Doctors and other random Mages who lived in the area, so magical back up was available if needed; and Xander also had an idea about who might make trouble for them.

It was good that things moved as quickly as they had because soon girls were streaming in from everywhere, not just North Africa. All of the training areas in London, Rome and Cleveland were at capacity, so any new slayers discovered were sent to Xander.

Soon Slayer's were trained and Watcher's recruited and before long, satellite Branches were in Egypt, South Africa and Nigeria with more on the way. There were injuries and even losses but patrols went on and evil was dealt with. Before Xander knew it, a year had passed. He had no idea where it had gone until he looked around and saw how different things were from when they'd gotten started.

In addition to his accomplishments for the Council, Xander's personal life was also taking a notable upturn. He'd actually had dates where he wasn't attacked, kidnapped or used to summon some sort of demonic master. His relationship with his friends had also markedly improved. Willow and Kennedy had spent a week there gathering ideas for setting up the South American branch and while there Xander had had several long and intense talks with Willow about what had happened between them in Sunnydale. He also tried to convince Kennedy that he didn't regret saving her, and that the loss of his eye was a price he'd been more than willing to pay. Dawn had spent a light-hearted week in Africa when she was between semesters; and Buffy had spent a month in Africa after her break-up with the Immortal. Like Willow's visit, Buffy's was marked by long and intense talks where a lot of issues that had festered for too long were finally dealt with. Fortunately his reconciliation with Buffy happened before he got the full story on what had happened between her and the Immortal from Dawn. If Xander had known earlier, then he would have been on the next plane to Rome put the pompous bastard's nick-name to the test. As it was, he gave Dawn several suggestions concerning revenge and left things in her capable hands.

The only real question mark in Xander's life was Lady Dalharn. She wanted something from Xander, he could tell, but he had no idea what it was. But the way that she acted around him made it clear that there were some ulterior motives at work, he just wished he knew what they were. Sometimes she would be out at Slayer House three or four times a week, then there were times where Xander would only see her once or twice in a month's time. It was frustrating, Xander felt like he was just waiting for the other shoe to drop but considering the huge debt he and the Council owed her, Xander was willing to deal with it. In addition to all her generosity when it came to setting things up, Lady Dalharn had also given him his Axe.

She had brought it with her when the compound was finally completed and they were having an Opening Ceremony. She had been standing on the front porch talking about logistics when her butler had come up carrying what appeared to be a guitar case.

"Thank you Rogers, I'd almost forgotten," she had said. Then the Lady turned to Xander, "I felt as though you should have this, it was the cream of my late husband's collection, but it needs to be used for more than collecting dust; I thought you might like it." Here she had opened the case and Xander felt as though he'd been gut punched, the axe inside was so beautiful that he couldn't seem to draw breath. It was long, about three and a half feet from top to bottom. The head was Damascus steal, and was butterfly shaped, each of the two heads showed seven inches of very sharp cutting edge. The haft was made from Iron wood and the final touch was a six inch spear point that was attached to the top of the haft. Reverently Xander reached out and grasped the haft of the weapon. It felt good in his hand, no more than that, it felt right; as though it had been made for him and him alone. Wordlessly he looked at Lady Dalharn.

"It is a Phoenician design, which is all I know of it. My husband acted as though he'd found the holy grail when he discovered it and fortunately the seller was kind hearted because I do believe that my husband would have mortgaged and sold all that we owned to have it."

"Thank you Lady Dalharn," Xander said; fighting the urge to drop to one knee in front of the old woman. "I'll use it well."

"I'm certain that you will, Alexander," she had replied with a ghost of a smile.

And he did, use it well that is. Xander practiced at least an hour a day with it, learning all of its strengths and weaknesses. When he finally used it in battle, helping to settle a small demonic uprising in Ethiopia; he surprised the Slayers, Watchers and himself, with the destructive power that he unleashed on the demons. It was as though he and his axe were the center of a whirlwind of body parts and blood. Because of her many gifts, Xander never failed to thank Lady Dalharn when he saw her.

Soon after the one year anniversary, everyone was on the move. Word had come through the Mutawah's that a Mage in the mountains of Eastern Uganda had turned to dark and bloody methods for getting what he wanted and would soon threaten the stability of the entire region. Knowing that it was best to catch these kinds of things early, Xander had set out with the best of the house to stop the would-be Overlord.

When they finally arrived at his cave lair, 'why do they always choose caves?' Xander wondered; he directed the girls to take out the demonic guards while he went for the seat of the problem. His reason for this was simple, the Mage was a human, and even though the idiot was patently evil, he wanted to spare the Slayers the necessity of killing humans whenever he could. So the girls opened a hole between the demonic defenders and Xander charged through, casually lopping off arms and legs as he ran past the demonic combatants.

Sure enough, there was the head evil guy, in his cliché black robes with a hood; standing over a green flame while yelling some sort of incantation. Figuring that the incantation was not some sort of elaborate surrender, Xander dove at the man, his axe held in front of him like a spear. The spear point tore through the man's chest and drove him, with Xander along for the ride; up against the back wall of the cave. But instead of hitting rock, the pair of them sailed right through with nothing more than a whisper of air and a bit of tingling to mark their passage.

As soon as they hit the ground, Xander assessed the situation. The mage was dead, that was most important; and they were in a cave. The problem was that they seemed to be alone, and the entrance to the cave was in the wrong direction, not to mention that there was daylight outside when they'd been fighting at night. After testing the back wall of the cave and finding it disturbingly solid, Xander did the unthinkable as he channeled Giles and muttered, "Oh bugger".

After assuring himself for the hundredth time that there was no way to get back to where he'd come from, Xander decided to find out where he was. He stepped out of the cave and found that he was about 100 yards from a large body of water with no other shores visible. It appeared to be a rather desolate place, covered in grass, there were no visible trees and no signs of human population. Not recognizing where he might be, Xander went about inventorying what he had and trying to figure out how best to survive until someone came to get him or he figured out how to get back on his own.

Xander wasn't nearly as bad off as he had originally believed. Oh, he was still stuck in a different universe (he knew this because the stars were completely different), and though he had to admit it was quite Earth like he still had no obvious way of getting home, but he no longer had to worry about his immediate survival. As he had examined the body of the dead mage, he realized that like so many would be evil lords, the guy had draped himself with gold.

From the front of his cave, he had seen fishing boats, and where there were boats there were people, so he was not completely isolated. It would be simple enough to melt down the bad guy's gold and once it was melted down, would be a perfectly adequate means of exchange so that he could buy whatever he needed; assuming the locals actually knew what gold was, which he fervently hoped that they did. The next day, once he'd obtained a few slivers and nuggets, Xander decided that it was time to scout out the land and figure out where in the heck he was and where the other people were.

It turned out that he was on an island named Fellimath. It wasn't that large, maybe six miles at its widest point and about fifteen long and mostly like what he'd already seen, grass but few trees. There were no cities or even towns, just a few scattered villages. The level of technology seemed to be about the medieval period, there was no sign of gunpowder or modern weapons. The main way of life seemed to be raising sheep and fishing. The sheep were given the run of the island since there seemed to be no natural predators present. After finding his way to the nearest village, Xander was pleased to discover that they could understand him, and he them; so different universe aside, everyone seemed to speak English. He told the tale as if he had washed up from a wrecked ship and was just looking to settle down. Everyone seemed to accept this easily enough and he was able to make arrangements for the supplies he would need to survive.

He also discovered that in addition to the name of the island he was now living on, that it was part of a group called the Lone Islands and were off the coast of a country called Calormen. It was this that finally convinced Xander that he was well and truly off of the Earth that he knew, because no matter how poor he'd been in Geography, he figured he would have remembered a country called Calormen. The Lone Islands were supposedly ruled by a country called Narnia, but since word hadn't been received from Narnia in over a decade, a boisterous independence seemed to be the rule now. Xander figured it was a lot like the Old West in American history. So Xander bought his supplies and a boat, because he would rather fish than mess around with a bunch of sheep; and built a small cabin in front of the cave he'd arrived from and set about making a life.

He really did enjoy the quiet, and on Fellimath he got all of that and some. About once a week he'd head to the nearest village for the news and a dinner that he hadn't cooked himself, but mostly it was a quiet and lonely existence. He told himself that he didn't want to move because something might come for him through the cave, but the truth was that he just felt that this was where he was supposed to be right now. So Xander spent his days fishing and improving his cabin and his nights looking at the stars and planning on what to do when he got back. Meanwhile, he found himself staring at the horizon for minutes at a time, several times a day; as though he were searching for a sign of some kind. But he had no idea what it was.


	2. Chapter 2

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN

Lucy Pevensie, also known as Queen Lucy the Valiant; was feeling quite a mixture of things at the moment. She was exhilarated, she was nervous and she was flat out scared. She was currently in charge of one of the Narnian galleons that were set to reclaim the Lone Islands for the crown of Narnia and this was the reason for her conflicted feelings. The flat out scared was easy to understand; nearly everyone is scared to one degree or another before a battle and anyone that isn't probably has a few screws loose up in their head. Not that Lucy hadn't been in battles before, she had. But she'd always been with the Archers or the Healers or somewhere "safe".

This, of course, was Peter's doing. Her eldest brother had an overdeveloped sense of security, which usually translated to treating Lucy like she was made of spun glass. She had complained bitterly in the past, asking him how it was alright that she watch him risk his life in battle when she could not do the same. His only reply had been that he was the oldest and that it was his job to make sure that she stayed alive. This had changed just recently, while Peter had been out securing Narnia's northern border, a stag had arrived at Cair Paravel with news of the invasion of Archenland. Edmund had just arrived from Calormen and the two of them led the Narnian relief force. She had fought with the Archers and later tended the wounded on the field, all without the benefit of some sort of bodyguard. When he returned to Cair Paravel and learned of what happened, Peter had been furious at first. He had yelled at everyone and then gone off to his room for a good sulk. But the next day, he started treating Lucy like someone who could take care of herself and not a china doll to be protected.

When Edmund had suggested an expedition to remind both the Lone Islands and the Seven Islands who was in charge, Peter had not balked at the suggestion of Lucy as second in command. At the Seven Islands, they'd run into a fleet of pirates who were attempting to take control the islands. The Narnian fleet had scattered the pirates and destroyed many of their ships. After that, reminding everyone as to who was in control of the islands was a simple matter. Lucy hadn't had much to do in that battle. Her ship was the last in line so that the pirates had been pretty well defeated before they even had a chance to let loose a volley of arrows. Instead, she'd had the Captain sail right through the fight and headed for the capital, to negotiate the rebels surrender and the Seven Island's acknowledgement of Narnian overlordship before the fighting was even over.

As to why she was nervous, Lucy had no doubt about her personal courage; but now she was responsible for all the men on her ship, indeed she was partially responsible for the entire fleet. Hundreds of Narnians lived or died based on her decisions. Could she really order her sailors to do something that would guarantee their deaths if it meant that the ship or the fleet would survive? Lucy wasn't sure if she was ready for that monumental a decision. In an intellectual way, she knew that the only true test was a trial by fire, but she would have given a lot to know how she would react before it came to that.

The exhilaration was easy to explain; she was at sea. For whatever reason, Lucy never felt so at home as when she was at sea. She remembered Aslan's words at their coronation and figured that the lion had known what he was talking about.

Put it all together and Lucy had never felt so alive. She had done many worthwhile things in her life, especially as Queen; but nothing she'd ever done before seemed to compare to what was going on right now. She quickly checked her clothes, to make sure that everything was in place, she was a Queen after all had impressions were important; then left her cabin and climbed to the poop deck to check on their position.

"How are we faring, Captain?"

"Well your Majesty, the fleet will come down on the west side of Fellimath and then move through the passage between Fellimath and Doorn. We should be quite secure there as well as being able to quickly respond to any threats that might manifest themselves."

"Any signs of trouble from Calormen?"

"No Majesty and I don't expect it either. The Tisroc uses ships for trade, but he prefers to fight on land."

"And how long til we pass Fellimath?"

"Not long your Majesty."

With that, Lucy thanked the Captain and climbed up in the rigging, making her way to the fighting top. She loved it up there, true she would have preferred the crow's nest, but it was too small for anyone except the lookouts. Lucy would spend hours on the fighting top, just staring at the horizon and thinking. Lucy had recently realized that quite often she felt like two people who just happened to share the same body. In one respect she was wise and powerful, a Queen; whose word was literally law for her people. A leader who sat in judgment was responsible for the life and livelihood of thousands of beings. Yet at the same time she was a young and rather naïve girl.

In the sixteen years that she had been in Narnia, Lucy had never kissed a boy more than a peck on the cheek. There were times when she'd exchange heated glances across a dance floor with some handsome fellow, but between Peter and Susan, they never came to anything. Peter would threaten them off if he felt they were getting too familiar; and those that weren't threatened by Peter looked away on their own when Susan was around. It was widely acknowledged, even by Lucy, that Susan was the prettier of the two, so if Susan was in the room; all eyes were on her.

Most of the time Lucy didn't resent her sister or brother, but every once in a while she found herself wishing that she could find someone who wouldn't be afraid of Peter and that would choose her over Susan. Someone who would be like the heroes in the romantic ballads and poems that she knew and sweeps her off her feet with the depth of his passion for her. Lucy knew that this was just a childish dream that was fueled by too many ballads, but it was one that seemed to come back with an alarming frequency.

She was looking at Fellimath as they went past the island. She thought it looked peaceful and pleasant with its gently rolling green hills and Lucy wondered what type of people lived on it. Were they wild savages, dwarves and talking beasts like in Narnia, or were they just people like those she had known back in England. 'Once all this nasty business is sorted out, I can find out for myself,' she thought. Thoughts about their reasons for being there drew her gaze towards the front of the armada. There she saw Peter's ship, the Splendor Hyaline; it was the largest vessel and Lucy could see the great banner of Narnia, the red lion on a green field fluttering from the mizzen. She was reflecting on how beautiful a ship it was when she noticed a swarm of much smaller ships coming out from the channel between Fellimath and Doorn. They flew no flag and had black sails, 'pirates,' she thought. She turned her body to yell down to the captain, but one of the lookouts beat her to it.

Soon the ship was a hive of activity as the sailors began preparing for battle. For her part, Lucy remained in the fighting top, here she could see what was happening, and could fight with the archers if needed. Extra canvas was snapping into place and the ship was picking up speed when a stray glance back froze Lucy's blood. Three more ships, larger than the ones swarming the head of the column; were bearing down on them. Obviously they were hoping to take the Narnian's unaware from the rear. Lucy looked around, there was only one other ship close enough to help. 'That will have to do,' she thought.

"Hard about captain, and prepare for battle. Signal the Valiant to come about with us and act as rearguard."

"Your Majesty?" the captain asked, obviously confused.

"There are pirates coming up behind us, we have to act now or it will be too late."

The captain turned and looked out over the stern, then was barking orders at a remarkable rate. "Signal the Valiant to hard about," he told the mate. "Hard about now," he told the bo'sun. Then he was yelling instructions to the leaders of the archers and the various boarding parties. Men were hurrying to their battle stations, and while they were doing that, Lucy clambered down from the fighting top and made her way to the Poop deck to stand next to the captain. It soon became clear that the Valiant would deal with one of the pirate ships, which would leave two for Lucy's ship to deal with. It occurred to Lucy that the odds were against them, but she also realized that it was something that needed to be done. No matter how Lucy's small part of the battle turned out, the fleet wouldn't be taken unaware from the rear; and that, Lucy realized, was worth the price of two ships and their crews. She could see the two ships bearing down and turned away from them so that she could string her bow. She had several quivers of arrows nearby and was wearing a vest of chainmail and had a small shield on her bow arm. She would be in a position to protect the bo'sun and shoot into the pirate ship from a different angle.

All too soon the ships were grinding together. The pirates immediately tried to board but the Narnian archers drove them back from the rail. After two more volleys of arrows, the Narnians boarded both vessels. Lucy watched and as soon as the rails were clear she darted forward and pulled her diamond flask and started healing those Narnians who were only wounded. There had been several wounded and even a few killed, but it was clear that the Narnians were holding their own. Lucy made her way back to the captain.

"Send both reserve parties to the ship on the left and direct all archers to support the boarders on the other ship."

The captain thought for a second, then realized what Queen Lucy wanted to do. He quickly bellowed his orders and with a yell, both reserve boarding parties tumbled over the rail into the pirate ship on the left. This ship wasn't putting up nearly the fight that the other ship was. It was clear that with superior numbers, the Narnians would subdue the pirate ship quickly and then the men would be free to board the other pirate ship without having to worry about enemies in their rear. It happened just as Lucy had hoped it would and all too soon, the reserve boarding parties were re-grouping on the main deck of the Narnian galleon in preparation to board the second pirate ship. The original boarding party was now working to make prisoners of the pirates.

Lucy vaulted over onto the captured vessel and started working to save the wounded. As she tended wounded Narnians, distant shouts told her that the other pirate vessel was near to capitulation; but she wasn't thinking about that right now. She was still busy with the wounded when there was a yell much closer and of a much different timbre.

Lucy glanced up from the dwarf whose leg she was tending to see the Narnians running about randomly, obviously panicking. These new yells told her that the ship she was on was sinking, the pirates choosing to scuttle their ship rather than leave it to the Narnians. Lucy saw that the pirate ship was much lower in the water than it had been when she first came over.

Lucy quickly went over to the main hatch and yelled down it, telling the Narnians to get off the ship. With marked discipline, the Narnian sailors quickly moved to leave the sinking ship. As she was heading for the rail herself, Lucy heard a voice in one of the cabins, yelling for help. Lucy quickly moved to the main cabin, but no one was there. Finally in the mate's cabin she found a wounded Narnian, a man, who was unable to move on his own. Quickly Lucy got her shoulder under the man and together they made their way out onto the deck.

But when they got there, they realized that the pirate ship had been cut loose from the Narnian galleon and would soon be under water. "The stern boat, Majesty; we can make our way in that," the man gasped out. Lucy and the sailor, whose name was Norbert, moved to the stern of the pirate ship as quickly as they could. It was hard for Lucy to get Norbert into the boat but fear can do a lot to speed you up and soon enough the two of them were casting off and it was none too soon. They pulled away vigorously so they wouldn't be caught in the suction of the pirate ship sinking. When they were a safe distance away, Lucy turned back to Norbert to try and heal some of the many wounds that were oozing blood. Actually, Lucy was amazed that Norbert was still alive; he was more heavily wounded than anyone she'd ever seen. She had just finished closing a ragged wound on his shoulder when he husked out, "look there your Majesty."

Lucy turned and her blood ran cold, coming around close under the stern of the Narnian ship was another boat, one that had at least eight men in it; unfortunately they were pirates. What was worse was the fact that they were between Lucy and her ship and there was no way anyone would hear her over the noise of the battle. She looked around to see if there was the possibility of help from anywhere else, but it was quickly clear that she and Norbert were on their own. The only option they had was to row for Fellimath and either hide or find a defensible position and wait for help to arrive.

Norbert and Lucy pulled as hard as they could but the boat with the pirates had more men and more oars and gained on them at a fearful pace. Lucy turned to see how close the island was, and she figured that they would reach it ahead of the pirates but she didn't know if they would have enough of a lead to lose them. The two pulled for another minute or so, when Norbert suddenly collapsed with a groan. Lucy checked to see if he was still alive when he took a shuddering breath. This was followed by a gout of blood that came out of his mouth, and it was clear that he was dead. Just then the boat was tipped by a large wave and Lucy hit the water with a scream. Lucy came up out of the water spluttering and barely able to catch her breath from the cold. Norbert's body floated by her and she quickly reached out and took the short sword he'd had thrust through his belt; then she floundered her way up to the beach.

As she emerged from the water, a yell went up from her ship, she'd been spotted and help would be coming. Even as she watched, arrows flicked out from the Narnian galleon towards the pirates in the small boat. Now all that Lucy had to do was stay alive and avoid being captured until her men could get there and that wasn't going to be easy. Lucy tried to run across the beach, but the frantic rowing had tired her out and her wet clothes seemed to get in her way, however she tried to move. As she was moving she was constantly looking for somewhere that she could hide, escape or at least turn and fight, but she saw nothing that would help her.

A jolt of fear hurried her when she heard the grating of the pirates' boat as it landed on the beach. Desperately she looked for anywhere that would let her defend herself; there were a few spots, but none was ideal. Realizing that she was out of time, Lucy headed for the nearest of these, determined that she would sell her life as dearly as possible. At bay, she turned and faced her pursuers. There were now seven of them, Lucy saw a body slumped in the pirates' boat, a testament to Narnian archery; they were dirty and poor looking, but their weapons were remarkably well kept. Most of them were carrying hatchets and knives, but the one who was the obvious leader had a sword and leather armor on.

Lucy could see the leader getting ready to say something, when a strange voice came from behind the pirates. "Excuse me miss, but are these men bothering you?" The words came from a young man that Lucy would guess was a little older than herself. He was tall and well muscled with dark hair and a single brown eye.

The pirates turned as one, although a couple of them kept half an eye on Lucy; just in case she decided to try something. But she was staring at the stranger as well. He was dressed like a peasant, a loose shirt and trousers; but he was clean shaven and most distinctly, had a patch over his left eye. Lucy could also see a piece of wood sticking up above one shoulder, much like where a sword hilt would be if he were carrying a sword on his back. Lucy could see that he was ignoring the pirates and that his intense gaze was focused entirely on her. She looked at the man for a moment in silence, then murmured, "please help."

Those words were like a trigger because as soon as they were out of her mouth, the stranger exploded into action. Grasping the piece of wood, he pulled in an odd manner and suddenly a great gleaming battle axe was cutting through the arms of the pirate nearest him. As the pirate collapsed, his life's blood pouring out of his now severed arms; the stranger didn't even hesitate. The axe moaning in flight as he changed its direction, soon two heads joined the arms of the first pirate on the sand and the stranger was whirling his way towards the final four pirates. They had stopped worrying about Lucy and were entirely focused on this unexpected threat.

Lucy could have used this opportunity to escape, but she just stood there; fascinated by the destructive power her words had unleashed. The stranger ducked a blow and his return stroke took his attacker's leg off at the knee. Lucy then watched as he extended his swing and bringing the axe up and to the left he gutted pirate standing next to the one that was now without a leg. Pirouetting like a ballet dancer the stranger kept his swing going and brought the axe up high, only to bring it down with devastating force and split the leader's skull, despite the small helmet that he was wearing.

It was here that the stranger ran into trouble. There was one pirate left but the stranger's back was to him and his axe was wedged in the leader's head and wasn't coming loose. Lucy watched with horror as the final pirate prepared to strike the stranger's unprotected back. Almost of its own volition, Lucy's right hand snapped forward. She was stunned to see that her small dagger, the one she'd gotten for Christmas all those years ago, was now buried in the pirate's neck. She watched with a horrified fascination as the final pirate collapsed, blood pouring from his mouth as he clawed at his throat.

Lucy looked up from the dead pirate and saw the stranger looking at her, his face was covered with blood and gore, but he managed a warm smile none the less. "Thanks," he said. Lucy was unable to look away from him, somehow comforted by his slightly feral smile. She opened her mouth to thank the stranger for rescuing her, but just then all the emotional and physical exertions of the day, not to mention the horror of the slaughtered pirates that seemed to ring her caught up with her and Lucy's world went black.

Xander just stood there as the cute little blonde collapsed at his feet. He saw the two boatloads of men coming, and with his only source of information out like a light; he had no idea if they were friends or more foes. Xander thought about it another moment or two, and then figured "why take a chance". He slung his axe back in its sheath, checked the dead guys for money and finally picked the girl up and headed out towards the hills. He knew the terrain well enough and with the skills that he'd honed in both Sunnydale and Africa, ditching this bunch was a certainty. He'd loose them and make his way by the back paths to his cabin. Since it was a couple of miles from here, he figured he'd have a day, maybe two before anyone figured out where the blond was. Xander took a couple of steps and then removed the small shield and the chain mail vest, he didn't need to be hauling the extra weight.

The captain looked ashen. Whether it was because of the horrific wounds on the dead men or the fact that he had lost the High Kings sister; he really wasn't sure. What he did know is that she was somewhere on Fellimath right now, and that she was alive. What he really wanted to know was if Queen Lucy had been rescued or kidnapped. With a grimace he sent the first mate back to signal the High King, he had a search to organize.


	3. Hello, My name is

HELLO, MY NAME IS . . . . .

Lucy woke slowly, not opening her eyes but rather taking in the sounds and smells around her. She lay there for a moment or two, there was a crackling fire, some sort of stew cooking, she was in a bed that was firmer than what she was used to and the cover smelled like sheep. She was trying to remember where she was or how she had gotten there but nothing was coming to her. As she lay there, Lucy could hear the distant sound of the waves breaking and that sound triggered everything. Suddenly she remembered the fight and her flight, the death of Norbert and the pirates. She remembered her rescuer but after that; nothing. She sat up suddenly, barely keeping the scream behind her lips, her breath coming in panicked rasps. She looked wildly around, searching for the one eyed man, but he wasn't around, not that there was a lot of house to be around in. Lucy found herself in a one room cabin, although the one room was rather large. She was in a bed in one corner; there was a fireplace in the center of the opposite wall from her; the fire and lanterns hung on the wall lit up the room well. Everything except the hearth seemed to be made of wood. There wasn't much furniture, but what there was looked well made. It was a charming, spartan and thoroughly masculine room, and somehow Lucy found it very comforting. She tried looking outside, but the windows were dark and even if the man was standing right outside, she would not know it. Idly Lucy wondered how long it had been since the fight with the pirates. She was thinking about getting up, when the man suddenly appeared near the foot of the bed she was in. Lucy's eyes got wide and she gave a little shriek at his sudden appearance and the noise made him jump.

"Don't do that, you nearly gave me a heart attack."

"I gave you a heart attack, what about me. You just pop up out of nowhere, I nearly passed out from fright."

The man just stood there for a second, glaring at her with his one eye. Normally Lucy would have been quite intimidated but she could see lines around his eye and mouth that told her he was trying hard not to laugh. "Well it's good that you're finally up, dinner was almost ready and there was no way I could eat it all by myself."

"Thank you and sorry if I gave you a start," Lucy said and with a little pivot she stood up next to the bed. "My name is Lucy," she said, extending her hand; "Queen Lucy of Narnia." Lucy realized that this man could very well be an enemy of some sort, but somehow the only thing she felt about him was comfort. And he had rescued her, so even if he had malign intent, it seemed as though he was interested in preserving her life. She could work with that.

"Alexander Harris," the man replied, taking her hand. "But my friends call me Xander."

"Do you mind if I call you Alex, it sounds so much better than Xander?"

"Sure," Alex replied, "never let it be said that I wasn't willing to accommodate a pretty girl." He said this with a smirk and kissed her hand in an over the top manner.

It was then that Lucy realized that something was very wrong. She looked down and instead of her regular clothes; she was wearing just one thing. It was like a shirt, but there were no buttons or ties, it was just a single piece of cloth and had some writing on the front. If the fact that she was wearing something that she'd never worn before wasn't troubling enough, Lucy suddenly became aware that she was only wearing that one garment. She was currently experiencing a distinct lack of underclothing. "Where are my clothes," she blurted out, her face flushed in embarrassment.

"Back in the cave in a cedar chest," the man answered calmly. "I put em there after they dried out."

"Why did you take them off of me," Lucy asked. She was feeling quite put out at the moment, wondering if she had misjudged the man and that he might be some sort of pervert.

"They were soaked and you were going into hypothermia," he answered easily enough, obviously aware of where he thoughts were going. "So when I got you back here I stripped you down, dried you off and put something clean on you while your clothes dried."

"You mean you saw me naked," Lucy asked, scandalized. "And what is hypothermia?"

"Yeah," the stranger answered; "not much of a way to avoid seeing you in your birthday suit since you weren't exactly in a position to help. And Hypothermia is when your body looses so much heat that your brain shuts down and you die. You were in the early stages and I didn't feel like taking a chance that you might get worse."

"But, but," Lucy spluttered until the man interrupted her.

"Listen, are we gonna play twenty questions or do you want to eat?"

Taking a deep breath, Lucy looked at the man and replied. "I would like to eat now, thank you." Lucy was not sure of what she was feeling right now. As scandalized as she was at the thought of this stranger seeing her naked, she also felt a strange tingle of excitement. Not willing to consider that right now, she moved towards the table with the resolution that the whole being stripped down by another person was not going to be included in what she told her family when all of this was over.

"Fine, have a seat and I'll dish it up," he answered; a slightly mocking tone in his voice. Lucy quickly sat at the table and watched as he filled two plates from the pot hanging over the fire. He sat one down in front of her then asked, "do you want water, wine or ale with dinner?"

"Water is fine," Lucy replied and then watched as he disappeared through some hanging cloth that was stretched over part of the back wall. He re-appeared soon carrying two mugs.

"There's a cave back there that I use for storage," he replied to her unasked question. He set one mug down in front of her and took the seat across from her.

"Thank you," she said; raising her glass in a toast.

"You're welcome," he responded simply enough; touching her cup with his. And though his voice had been formal, he was wearing a grin that made her heart do an interesting little flip-flop in her chest. Since she was not ready to acknowledge that right now, she concentrated on the stew and warm bread in front of her. The first bite surprised her, she had not thought that a man on his own would be able to cook so well. For a few minutes there was only the sound of eating and the crackling fire in the cabin.

All too soon, though, with the edge taken off of her hunger; Lucy looked at the man and asked the first of her many questions. "What happened on the beach?"

"You mean after you saved my butt?"

"Yes," Lucy replied as she blushed slightly at Alex's vulgarity.

"Well, you passed out, not that I blame you much. I looked around and saw two more boats full of men getting closer. Not knowing if they were good guys or bad guys I picked you up and brought you where I knew you'd be safe, here. Also, I lead them down a few false trails and chucked your mail shirt over a cliff to throw them off of the scent. They'll find this place eventually but I figure I've bought us enough time to figure out our next move or two. Do you know if those were good guys or not?"

"Yes they were good guys; they were most likely the captain and some of the men from my ship. They were coming to rescue me as a point of fact."

"Well they were running late," Alex said with another smile. "Are they still gonna be looking for you?"

"Yes," Lucy replied, "along with my brother the High King."

"No problem then," Alex said with a grin. "Once its light outside we should be able to find their search parties easily enough, assuming that they don't find us first."

Listening to the way that Alex talked, Lucy suddenly realized something about him. "Excuse me for asking, but you're not from around here, are you?"

"You mean am I from this island?"

"No, I mean are you from this world?"

Alex froze, his one eye glaring hard at Lucy. For her part, Lucy found herself fascinated as she watched his entire personality change. Gone was her genial rescuer, he had been replaced by a very stern and calculating man. "No, and from your question I assume that you're from somewhere else as well?"

"Yes, she replied, I'm from England. We were living in London but had moved out the country to avoid the blitz. And yourself?"

"California originally, but I was in Africa, Uganda specifically; when the back of a cave proved to be a lot less solid than I'd hoped and I ended up here. How did you get here?"

"My brothers and sister and I were hiding in the back of an old wardrobe when we found ourselves here. That was over fifteen years ago in Narnian time."

"Narnian time?"

"Yes, well time seems to pass rather differently here than in our world. However long you stay here, it takes virtually no time in our world. Or at least that's how it worked when I came over here the first time"

"Excellent," Alex said, hoping Lucy was right and that his girls wouldn't be missing him. "Now, since you said you've been here for over fifteen years, you can tell me what this place is like." Even though he was being rather polite, Lucy knew a command when she heard it. It told her that the young man across from her was a leader, and used to being in charge. He was someone she would have to be careful around for now at least.

Those thoughts aside, Lucy proceeded to tell him about when they got here, their adventures with the White Witch, their coronation, and all that had happened since then and everything she knew about Narnia and the world they were in. It took a while; but she was careful to hold some of the crucial details back, just in case.

When she finished, Xander just looked at her for a moment or two, trying to make sense of everything she'd told him. "So let me get this straight," he finally said, "here you've got fauns and satyrs and giants and centaurs and minotaurs and dwarves and all kinds of other fairy tale creatures, and not only that, but some animals speak and think just like we do. And you and your brothers and sister are the rulers of this country because a giant talking lion proclaimed you to be the rulers, that and you all had just defeated a witch that had been keeping the country in winter for over a hundred years."

Lucy just nodded, not wanting to say anything because when Alex put it so bluntly, the whole story of Narnia sounded rather mad.

"That is so cool," he finally exclaimed.

"You believe me," Lucy asked, she didn't really understand the word, but the way that Alex said it communicated what it meant.

"Why not, I mean I've got no reason to not believe you."

"But it all sounds so mad."

"A bit, but if you want mad, just listen to the Alexander Harris story." And Xander proceeded to tell Lucy about finding out what really goes on at night and his ten year fight against the dark.

When he was finished, Lucy was nearly in tears. It was a tale straight out of the stories of heros of the past; filled with laughter and pain, great deeds and bitter setbacks; but overall a tale of love and family. Lucy never wavered in her belief of its authenticity. While it is true that she was unused to the ways of the world, she could still spot a liar easily enough, and Lucy knew, down deep where it counts, that what Alex had told her was the truth. And though she was all too naïve when it came to men, Lucy felt as though she was already halfway in love with Alex. All through the story Lucy could feel Alex's nobility and that truly spoke to her. It wasn't in what he said, but rather in what he didn't say. Peter and Edmund never talked about the things they'd done in anything but average terms, as though they're simply reading the news, but the deeds of others were elevated. The only exception was when they told of something humorous and then they would always seek to paint themselves as ridiculous. That was Alex, in every phrase and nuance of his story; that one truth shone through to Lucy. Quietly, as though she is reluctant to break the spell that the story has woven, Lucy asked only one question. "Didn't you ever think about stopping, especially after your eye?"

"Not really, I made a promise after all and I try to keep those."

"But was it worth it?"

"Hey, the world's still spinning and that's partially because of stuff that I've done. I honestly can't think of anything more worthy to do with your life than that."

"I can understand that," Lucy said finally. She paused a moment, then continued; "Alex, there were quite a few things in your story that I've never heard of, not the supernatural aspects but other things . . . ."

"I was gonna get to that," Xander said. "You mentioned that you left London to escape the blitz, right?"

"Yes," Lucy replied hesitantly. She felt nervous but she wasn't sure why.

"Yeah, well I know all about that, but from my history class. You see, when I came through the year was 2006. My guess is that you all came through in 1941 or so, is that right."

"Yes," Lucy exclaimed. "So you know who wins the war and all about what happened afterwards?" she asked, nearly bursting with excitement

"Yeah, I can tell you who wins the war and all the stuff after that, at least the high points." Here he looked sheepish, "history was never my favorite subject."

Lucy giggled at his expression. It was clear to her that this young man had quite a few facets to his personality, most of which were quite interesting. She sat back and listened as he told her tales of what was to come. Lucy was happy to hear that England was on the winning side of the war and was shocked to hear that men had actually walked on the moon. "That is, assuming we're from the same Earth."

"What do you mean," Lucy asked, shocked at what Alex as implying.

"Well, we know from certain things that happened to us that there is more than one Earth. I guess it makes more sense if you think of it as different dimensions."

"How would that happen?"

"I'm not really sure, but I suppose that if certain things hadn't happened the way they did then things would be really different down the road. Like what if the Normans hadn't invaded England? Or what if they did and lost? Things like that would be like branching points that would sprout different Earth's."

"So could this be a different Earth," Lucy asked, fascinated.

"No way," Xander answered with certainty.

"How do you know?"

"Well the stars are different," Xander answered promptly. If this was a different dimension then we'd have the same constellations and things like that. But these are all different, which suggests that were in a completely different universe or reality or whatever term works best for you."

Lucy found deep talk like this tiring after the day that she'd had, and yawned right in the middle of Alex's ruminations. They were fascinating, but ultimately irrelevant. The two of them were together in Aslan's world not back in theirs where they would be separated by sixty years, or even more distance than that.

"Geez, I'm sorry," the young man said. "I didn't mean to keep you up so late."

"That's alright," Lucy replied. Then she looked around, seeing that there was only one bed. "So how are we going to work this out," she asked.

"Pretty simply," Alex answered with a bit of an eyebrow waggle. Lucy blushed and as soon as he saw it Alex continued. "I'll sleep on the floor of course, what did you think I meant."

Lucy blushed even harder and started to splutter a denial when Alex just laughed. Soon Lucy had herself under control again and just settled for glaring daggers at the young man. He went back into the cave to get the extra blankets and put his night clothes on. As he did this Lucy settled herself down. Then she silently watched as Alex came out and quickly and efficiently made himself a little pallet and settled down for the night. Lucy noticed that he had put himself between her and the door, obviously guarding her. She lay back on her pillow and tried to put the day out of her mind. She was asleep as soon as she shut her eyes.

It was a nightmare, some part of Lucy's brain knew this to be true; and yet, at the same time; it was more real than reality. She found herself back on the beach, feeling the same fear she had before, but instead of pirates, she was surrounded by creatures she'd never seen before. A part of her thought that this must be the type of things that Alex fought because they looked so wrong, it was clear that they didn't belong on this world. They started to attack her but then Alex was there fighting them as he had done before. And as before, he was beating them all, until the last one; until the one that she had to kill. That was when Lucy froze, she stayed her hand; too afraid to even try to kill something so horrific. She watched as the monster's sword went in Alex's back and went through him. Lucy watched as the monster pulled the sword out through Alex, opening a horrific wound. She stood there, silently horrified, as Alex's guts fell out of his body and he sank to his knees in the sand. He looked up at her then, his one eye accusing. As though he knew that he was dead because Lucy hadn't acted. It was then that her paralysis broke and Lucy started screaming her denial, but it was too late. Then Alex's dying face changed and it was Peter's then Edmund's then Susan's and finally Aslan's; and during all of this, all she could do was stand there, screaming her denial. Even as the monster grabbed her arms and was roaring out her name, she could just scream. They were dead, all dead and all because of her.

Lucy woke up from her nightmare to find that someone did indeed have her by the arms. She tried to struggle but they were too strong and she couldn't break away. Slowly she became aware that her captor was talking to her. "Lucy, come on Luce wakey, wakey."

Slowly, almost reluctantly she opened her eyes, not really sure of who or what she would see. The moonlight was pouring through the side window and gave an eerie light to Alex's face, the look on it was only one of concern and caring and Lucy immediately relaxed.

"You with me now Luce?"

It took Lucy a moment to register that he had used a rather cute diminutive of her name; she found it endearing. She tried to answer but burst into tears as she tried to speak. Immediately she felt herself being lifted into his arms and he sat on the bed with her in his lap and just held her; she melted into his arms, at peace for now. After a few minutes of weeping Lucy pulled herself together and looked up into Alex's eye. "I was back on the beach," she said.

"Only this time you didn't save me, right?"

"How did you know?"

"I've been there a time or two," he answered simply.

"Yes, I suppose you have," she replied; then found herself snuggling into his embrace. "Would you stay with me, hold me," she asked, her voice small.

"Sure," he murmured.

Alex got up and set Lucy's feet on the ground. She quickly got back in bed and got comfortable, and then Alex lay down next to her on her left side, his arm across her body, Lucy had never felt so secure in her life and she was instantly and dreamlessly asleep.

Lucy was startled out of a very pleasant dream by someone pounding on the cabin's door, it was clear that this wasn't knocking; this was someone looking to knock it down. She felt a brief pressure on her side as Alex vaulted out of the bed. Lucy opened her eyes in time to watch as he picked up his axe, which was on the floor next to the bed, and pivot around with an almost feline grace so that he was kneeling on the floor with the spear point aimed at the door. He was just in position when the door shattered inwards and a man in armor with a drawn sword burst through. The armored man raised his sword and turned towards the bed, obviously hoping to intimidate any possible opponent, but the spear tip pricking his throat told him that he wasn't intimidating enough. Lucy froze for an instant, afraid that the man who had saved her would turn around and kill her brother, she did recognize the armor and sword after all. She heard Alex mutter something about being sure of what you would find when charging in, and that scared her. Lucy could not see his face but everything that she knew about Alex told her that he would kill to protect her and that Peter was very close to finding that out, the aftermath of the beach fight flashed in her mind for an instant. But then Lucy's fear turned to anger. After all she had been perfectly safe and if Peter had knocked, Lucy was sure that Alex would have been polite and given a full explanation. But no, Peter had to burst in like a charging bull and make a mess, not only of her rescuer's home, but of her pleasantly romantic morning as well. Seeing that Peter was about to say something, Lucy beat him to the punch.

For his part, Peter had checked the place out, even looked in the side window; that had actually been his mistake. Because when he saw Lucy in bed with a strange man, all of his ideas and stratagems went out the window and he just saw red. He had figured that bursting through the front door would disorient the man enough that Peter would be dealing with him from a position of strength. But he hadn't seen the axe and the door had been stubborn and now he had to talk his way out of something and talking had always been Ed's thing, not his. He was opening his mouth to start explaining when another voice cut in. "Peter Pevensie, what do you think you're doing you prat?"

After a few seconds, Xander pulled his axe away from Peter's throat, because if he didn't then he would have accidentally cut the King's throat since he was fighting so hard to hold back his laughter. He'd heard a lot of rants from pissed off girls, but Lucy was already approaching his top five and she'd only been going at it for a minute. Three minutes later and she was winding down, Xander was almost purple from holding back his laughter and Peter looked like his sick puppy had just gotten run over by a battalion of steamrollers. "And don't you ever, ever try to tell me how to live my life, is that understood?" Lucy finished.

Peter opened his mouth, it was clear from his face that he was somehow trying to justify what he'd just been raked over the coals for, when Lucy cut him off. "I asked if that was understood?"

Realizing that there was only one answer that he could safely give; Peter reluctantly replied, "Yes Lucy."

"Good, now don't ever get me that mad again Peter Pevensie or I'll really let you have it." Lucy turned and looked at Xander. "And what is it that you find so amusing about this?" Lucy was trying to look stern but she was fighting to keep herself from smiling.

Xander tried not to laugh, he really did, but when he opened his mouth, all that came out was a huge belly laugh, and every time he tried to talk or look at Lucy, it just got louder. It wasn't long before Lucy joined him, while Peter just stood there, looking confused. Finally Xander got himself under control and replied, "It was just a novel experience not being the one on the receiving end of something like that." He looked up at Peter, "I have a lot of friends that are girls, and I've been on the receiving end of the 'insensitive male' speech too many times to count. Sorry to have laughed, but your sister really delivered a dozy."

Peter cracked a smile, "She did at that, didn't she." He looked at his youngest sister, "It's hard to remember sometimes that she's all grown up now. I look at her and too often I just see my little sister." Then his expression changed and he said, "We've got to get going Lucy, there's still some things to take care of, the Governor and his men at Narrowhaven being first and foremost." As Lucy went back to the cave to change clothes; Peter turned to Xander, "I cannot thank you enough for taking care of Lucy the way you have. If there is anything you need or any service I can perform, you have only to ask."

"He could come with us," Lucy called out. "He's like us Peter; he doesn't have anyone in this world. Certainly Fellimath isn't his home."

"You would be most welcome if it is your wish to join us," Peter said, extending his hand.

Xander was stunned, it was a possibility that he'd never considered. To leave would mean leaving behind the cave and the only way that he knew of to get back to his world. But if Lucy was right, then he could be here for fifty years and when he went back it would be like he'd never left. But what if she was wrong, doubt gnawed at Xander's gut. Could he walk away from the fight, from his responsibilities, from his friends and family? By the same token, could he walk away from Lucy? Xander knew that something was there; he could feel it in his heart. For the first time since Anya's death, he was interested in a woman in a seriously romantic way. Did he want to walk away from that because of a sense of duty? He had cursed himself many times because he'd never been able to put Anya ahead of the fight when he was in Sunnydale, did he want to make the same mistake again. Didn't he deserve a little happiness? He believed that he did. His hand reached out and took Peter's, "I'd be honored to come with you."

"Excellent, and when we're alone we can talk about the old world."

"That sounds good, because I've got some stories to tell you." Xander would have gone on, but just then Lucy came bursting out of the back of the cave and hugged him tight. From what he'd said the night before, Lucy understood what he was giving up to come with them. "Thank you," she said simply, and kissed his cheek.


	4. Journeys

VICTORY AND VOYAGES

Xander felt really out of place. He knew a total of two people and neither of them for more than twenty four hours and except for the time his and Jesse's family had rented a houseboat for a weekend he had never been on a ship, so he had no idea of what he was supposed to be doing or where they were going. He'd been distracted for a while as one of the sailors had taken him on a tour of the ship but now that that was over, he didn't have anything to do but stand around and look lost. The fact that not all of the sailors were human was also throwing him a bit, even with his Sunnydale experiences. He watched the ocean go by for a while but it failed to hold his interest, so he bit the bullet and made his way back to Lucy. "So what's going on?" he asked when he finally found her, near the stern.

She turned to him; Lucy knew that Alex felt out of place so she'd been doing what she could to get the crew used to him by having the mate give him a tour of the ship while she, Peter and the senior captains discussed what to do. Actually, Lucy was amazed that Alex had taken so well to sailing, she'd not done nearly so well her first time at sea. "We've had to come up with a plan to deal with the Governor here. It turns out that he's in league with the pirates that we defeated at the Seven Isles and here. They all seem to have taken refuge in Narrowhaven and we need to go in after them and root them out quickly before they get a chance to really fortify the place."

"What about a siege," Xander asked, his soldier memories coming to the fore.

"Peter says that they have too many advantages for that to work, they certainly know the islands much better than we do."

"True, so is he just gonna blow in there?"

"Partially," Lucy replied. "Some of the forces are going in behind Narrowhaven to cut off their retreat, that way we get them all."

"So we're splitting our forces in half while attacking? That could blow up on us real quick." Xander admonished.

"I know," Lucy replied. But Peter thinks that if we get there fast enough, they won't have time to get a clear command structure set up so they won't be much better than a mob."

"And no mob can stand up to organized troops if the numbers are even close;" Xander concluded.

"So Pete's leading the charge, where are we gonna be?"

"I'm not sure, not everything is settled yet."

"I think we should be with the forces going to cut them off."

"Why?"

"Because as a member of the royal family, you can take their surrenders and give terms and that kind of thing. Peter can do that for the forces the lead group encounters, but if no one with true authority is with the second force, then the pirates have no choice but to fight to the death, and that's never a good thing. You being there would give them a chance to surrender if they wanted."

"He's not going to like be being separate from him."

"No doubt; but sometimes you've got to do what's right, regardless of the risks."

Lucy looked at him for a long moment. "You would know about that, wouldn't you," she said, respect tinting her voice. "You're right, and what's more I doubt it's something that has occurred to him. Excuse me while I go deliver the bad news."

"What's bad about it?"

"I'm going to be at risk, that's always bad as far as Peter is concerned."

"I agree with him actually, which is why I'll be with you. I've got to make sure you stay okay, otherwise all of my stew and TLC would have been wasted."

"TLC?" Lucy asked.

"Tender loving care," Xander replied with a grin and an eyebrow waggle.

Lucy blushed and hurried back to the captain's cabin while Xander stumbled along, trying to keep up with her. Xander made it back there just as Lucy finished making the suggestion and laying down the logic behind it.

As expected, Peter was not exactly in favor of the whole idea; but in five minutes he couldn't poke a hole in the whole rational behind it, so he reluctantly fell in line. Xander could see the pain on Peter's face when he accepted Lucy's proposal. He knew it well because he'd felt the same thing almost daily when he watched his slayers go off on what might very well be their last patrol with the knowledge that he wouldn't be on hand if they needed help. The young king looked up and caught Xander's eye. There was a demand there, that Xander protect his sister with everything he had. Xander gave Peter a brief nod; he would do nothing less anyway. Looking relieved, Peter went about making redeployments based on the new plan. Xander was impressed, the young man was quite the strategist and his plan was clearly sound. As he stood there listening, it was clear that there was a lot that Xander could learn from this. Due to his soldier memories he was a decent tactician and could successfully plan small scale actions, but when it came to planning anything large scale or an extended campaign; he came up short. Xander knew that there were many contacts that the council had who were ex-military. It shouldn't be that hard to find one or two who could hammer the basics of strategic thinking into his brain, provided of course that he didn't learn it here.

Lucy noted Alex's contemplative look and quietly sidled over to him. "What are you thinking," she whispered.

"That I need to learn how to think strategically and about how to plan a campaign."

"But you did fine earlier."

"Not really," Xander corrected her. "I'm fine with small groups, limited engagements or modifying a plan on the fly; but coming up with the plan in the first place, not so much."

Lucy giggled a bit at his mangling of the language. "Then you'll learn, won't you," she finally managed to get out.

He just nodded; his attention back on Peter and the others. When things broke up, Xander walked up to the young man. "I didn't want to ask while everyone was around, but what do we know about the lay of the land?"

"A man from Doorn who claims to still be loyal to Narnia has provided us with a good map and has agreed to show us the best spot for the blocking force to occupy."

"So this guy knows the terrain?" Xander asked. And before Peter could speak added, "Do you trust him?"

"Knows the terrain, yes. But I'm not entirely positive about his loyalty; however, he is willing to put his life on the line by going with the blocking force so that is a plus."

"You got a back up plan?" Xander asked, vowing that if they were led into a trap, the traitor would be the first to die.

"There isn't time. The longer we wait, the more fortified Narrowhaven becomes and the more troops we lose."

"Gotcha," Xander replied. "You know that this is going to be a bear to co-ordinate, right? You wouldn't happen to have a talking bird or something like that along for the ride, would you?"

Peter thought a moment and turned to Lucy. "I know that there is Nightfall, an older raven, Twombly the owl and Razorbill the hawk. Can you think of any others Lu?"

"No, I believe that those are all the talking birds in our forces," Lucy replied.

"Well send the Raven with us and that way the two parts of the Army can communicate," Xander suggested. "It might not be the fastest way of doing things, but it's better than just guessing and hoping."

Peter just looked at Xander for a moment and then turned to Lucy. There was a moment of non-verbal communication that involved looks and twitches that probably came with being brother and sister. Then he looked at the two of them. That is an excellent suggestion Alex, thank you; we'll follow your suggestion.

Xander actually felt himself blush a bit. "Just doing what I can," he muttered.

Peter just nodded in understanding, "You and Lucy need to get back to her ship, you both have a bit of a hike ahead of you."

"Yeah, because it'll be so much easier fighting through a small army," Xander replied with a grin.

"Good luck," Lucy said, kissing her brother on the cheek.

"Stay safe," Peter replied.

Doorn wasn't that bad a place, Xander decided. It wasn't as quiet as Fellimath, but it was still quite pretty. Unfortunately, the reason he was there wasn't pretty. Xander, Lucy and about two hundred Narnians were deployed on the main road that led out of Narrowhaven. It was an excellent place for an ambush, Xander knew; but it was also an excellent place to get ambushed. The woods came down close to where they were deployed on the east. At Xander's suggestion, Lucy had deployed squads of archers and footmen, mostly fauns, as scouts to make sure their flanks stayed clear and to filter any enemy that might be trying to go around back towards the road. To the west was a steep but small hill that was currently playing host to the rest of the Narnian archers. These were mostly men with a few dwarfs. Lucy would have preferred a few centaurs, but their large bodies just weren't meant to be on a ship so there were none to be had. The archers could function as both lookouts and long range support from the heights. As soon as they were organized, Lucy turned to the raven. "Inform my brother that we are in position and he may attack at any time."

"Yes your majesty," the raven responded in a voice that kind of gave Xander the willies. It took off, winging it's way north, and then the work getting prepared really started.

The better that the Narnian's could fortify their position, then the fewer losses there would be. At Xander's suggestion, they dug a trench from the east flank of the main body to the woods, that way a body of horsemen could not get through easily. Other modifications were suggested, both by Xander and the men. Lucy coordinated everything and then everyone got to work. It was a warm day, and Xander was cursing that since he was sweating inside his armor. Lucy had convinced him to wear a cuirass, gauntlets and bracers on his arms and greaves on his legs. It was Xander's first experience with anything like armor and he wasn't impressed, at least not yet. Barely an hour after the raven had been sent off, there was some activity on the road. It was refugees who were fleeing in anticipation of Peter's attack. The Narnian leaders soon realized that this would create a major problem if it came to fighting. Some Narnians were sent down the road to direct those fleeing Narrowhaven off the road and around the Narnian position. They would also serve as an excellent early warning system should anything more belligerent than a donkey come down the road. Soon the Narnians could hear the distant roar of battle and the troops began making final preparations because everyone knew what was coming.

All too soon, they appeared. It was obvious when the remnants of the bandits were fleeing the city. More refugees came pouring down the road, a look of terror in their eyes. The road became dusty and a cloud of it hung in the air. Through the dust, the flash of sun on metal was visible, telling you where the enemy was. Those troops who had been forward were falling back at a steady pace, but it was clear that there were fewer of them than had first gone out.

Lucy called the archers to ready, then went down to the road to confront the bandits. Xander knew that this was a bad idea, but he also knew that it had to be done. Xander could tell that Lucy was scared, but she was ready to do her duty. Hopefully the bandits would surrender and fighting wouldn't be necessary, but Lucy and Xander both figured that this would be unlikely. Lucy gave a signal and the infantry formed up. There were six heavy lines across the road, and with the preparations that had been made to the position, the Narnian's had a significant advantage. Lucy was standing behind the first two lines of infantry, the royal banner and its guard, two minotaurs and two men, on one side and Xander on the other along with the Doornish man who had showed them this place. There were four more lines of infantry behind them in reserve. Xander was now officially worried. The way the bandits were coming straight at them indicated one of two things. One was that they were desperate and like cornered animals, were capable of anything; the other was that they were a diversion to grab the Narnian's attention while other forces moved out on their flanks.

As the bandits came within a bow shot, Lucy called her herald to blow a blast on his horn. The sound rang out over the field and surprisingly, the bandits came to a halt. Up close they were a rather seedy lot, but like the pirates on the beach, their weapons were remarkably well kept. There was talk in the bandit's ranks while the Narnian's remained silent. Then Lucy's voice rang out. "You cannot pass this place, surrender now and your life will be spared; resist and you will die." Several of the bandits looked like they were laying down their arms, but most roared their defiance and attacked.

It really wasn't a battle; it was more of a well armed brawl. Showing little thought for anything except escape, the bandits came right at the defenders and just did their best to either beat up the Narnians or just slip through. The two real differences in the fight were the armor the Narnians wore that the bandits lacked, and the claws and fangs of those Narnians that weren't human. A few of the bandits had crossbows that would have negated this advantage, but they were the first ones targeted by the archers. The only tense moment came when a solid wedge of the bandits with a man on horseback in their midst, hit the center of the Narnian line. This allowed some of the fiercest of the bandits and the rider to get through the two lines of infantry and menace the queen.

Lucy drew her short sword and dagger, but they weren't needed. Between Xander and the color guard, all the bandits were taken care of. Indeed, Xander accounted for five of the enemy either wounded or killed, including the horseman; whose armor had marked him as one of the few leaders left. Xander's great axe was dealing out huge amounts of damage all through the fight.

After a time that was both quick and eternal, the fighting was over and Lucy was doing her best to heal all of the wounded, Narnian and bandit alike. Xander was doing what he could to help her after they each had made sure the other was fine. When Peter rode up with a small but well armed party, Xander had to admit that the young man looked exactly like what you'd expect from a king; young, shining and handsome.

He pulled his horse up with expert control and asked how things had gone. Lucy looked up from healing a rather bloody chest wound and told him of the number of Narnian's killed and wounded which was thankfully brief. She followed this with an accounting of the bandit dead and wounded; here there were many more dead than wounded. Peter dismounted and walked among the wounded, calling most of them by name. Xander watched as they seemed to take energy from the young king. He then watched as Peter personally thanked the man that had helped them. Xander knew that without the guy, things may have gone a lot worse; but he was still bothered by the man.

All told, the Narnians had eliminated the threat to the Lone Islands with little cost to themselves. Peter directed that when the dead were buried and the wounded cared for, that they should march to Narrowhaven where there would be a celebration for the restoration of Narnian overlordship and the appointment of a new Governor.

"I wonder who he got for that job," Xander asked Lucy as they were marching to Narrowhaven.

"A minor landholder on Avra whose family could be traced directly back to Narnia before the White Witch came. He has no direct ties to the prior royal family, but he is clearly of Narnian descent, so he'll have to do." Lucy spoke with a look of distaste on her face, scanning the woods for bandits who might be trying to hide as they were moving rather than looking at Alex.

"From your tone, I take it you don't like him?"

"Not particularly, he seemed a bit slippery when we spoke; like he was hiding part of himself."

"He probably was," Xander replied. At the look on Lucy's face he continued. "If he survived the folks that have been in charge, he would have to be both slippery and adaptable now wouldn't he?"

"I suppose," Lucy replied tersely.

"So don't hold it against him," Xander counseled. Then as he looked around at the debris that had been left by the fleeing townspeople, "besides, he's got plenty of evidence about what will happen if he gets you lot mad at him."

"I suppose," Lucy said, "but I don't really like all of the politics."

"I'm with you," Xander replied. "Give me a straightforward situation any time, dealing with politicians always makes me feel dirty and I end up just wanting to hit someone or something."

They could see the walls of Narrowhaven in the distance and Lucy screwed up her courage and asked the question that she'd been wanting to ask ever since the battle. "Alex, may I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"How do you do it," Lucy asked simply.

"Do what," Xander replied, confused.

"When we're together or when you're with other people, you're so funny and gentle and do your best to keep everyone's spirits up. But when you're fighting, it's as though you're another person, savage and ruthless. I was just wondering how you can be both of those people."

Xander looked at her for a moment, then at the approaching walls. At first Lucy thought he wasn't going to answer but then he started talking. "Back when I was a sophomore in High School, I was possessed by the spirit of a Hyena. It was the Alpha, the head of the pack, and even though it was exorcised, some of it stayed with me, or maybe it just reinforced some stuff that was already in me, I'm not sure." Xander looked over at Lucy with a tired smile, "Hyenas are pack animals, and to them the survival of the pack is more important than the survival of the individual. Along with that is the belief that anything that is a threat to the pack must be eliminated. Now I told you about where I came from and what I did, so understand that my girls and my friends are my pack and that I will deal with anything that tries to hurt them in a very final manner. I really hadn't felt that way since I came here, but something in my head identified you as pack and now that includes your brother, and I'm assuming the rest of your family when we get to Narnia. And now that you are pack, I will destroy anything or anyone that tries to hurt you. And that is the key to two of my sides. If you are not a threat, then all you see is happy Xander; if you are a threat, well then you get to see not so happy Xander."

Lucy was floored, "you would go after anyone or anything that's a threat to me or my family?"

"Are you saying you would do any less for me," he fired right back.

It took Lucy a second to process his reply, but as she thought about it, there was only one answer she could give, the honest answer. "You're right, we would; or at least Peter and I would, I won't speak for Edmund and Susan."

"Fair enough," Xander answered. Then he turned and pulled Lucy into a hug. "I'm glad you're alright," he whispered against her cheek.

"I'm glad you are as well," she replied, then planted a small kiss on his cheek. "Come on," she said, pulling away. "Peter will get worried soon."

"As my lady commands," Xander said with a mocking bow and a twinkle in his eye.

It was a while before they left the Lone Islands; mostly because Peter wanted to leave a stable system behind so he wouldn't have to come back and retake them every other year. For Xander though, the time didn't pass slowly. As a point of fact, things started getting interesting the day after they arrived at Narrowhaven.

"Could you train me?"

The question was asked as he was in the middle of his Tai Chi routine and so he didn't immediately answer. When he finished he opened his eye and saw Lucy there looking a bit lost. "To do what?" he asked.

"Fight," she replied simply.

"How hard are you willing to work?" he shot back.

"As hard as needed," she replied with a bit of exasperation.

"Why do you want to learn?"

"So I can take care of myself and of my people," Lucy replied. "So I can be a better queen."

"OK then," Xander said. "But it won't be easy and it will take time. If you're willing to work and not complain about what I make you do, then we can get started."

"Alright then," Lucy said, spine stiffening. "What do we need to do first?"

"Well first we need to see what kind of shape you're in," Xander said with a bit of a smirk. "After that we'll see about the rest of the schedule." He then asked Lucy to change into clothes she could run and sweat in and as soon as she was ready, they started running. Fortunately Lucy's tone was good but her endurance needed work as did her muscle mass. After about three hours of evaluation, she was a sweaty mess.

"I think you're just doing this to torture me," Lucy wheezed.

"Nope, just seeing where you are?"

"So what's the verdict?"

"You need to build up your endurance so either running or rowing. Actually rowing would be best because that would build up your arms at the same time."

"What about that thing you were doing?"

"Thing?"

"When I first came out here, it looked like very slow dancing?"

"Oh, that's called Tai Chi. It's an Asian martial art used to center and focus the body's energy. And we'll be doing that as well."

"And what about weapons?"

"Well, when you know how to move properly, then we'll think about putting something sharp in your hand." Xander gave the young woman a hard look. "There is one thing I want to be clear on, and that is when we're out here, you're not a queen, you're not my friend, you're my student and I'm you're teacher. That means that there will be times that I'm mean, rude and dictatorial. It also means that there will be times you will just want to have me slowly roasted over a fire. If you're alright with that then I can and will train you to the best of my ability."

Lucy looked at the one-eyed man. There was an attraction there, she wasn't about to deny that. The question was, was she able to separate Lucy the student from Lucy the young woman. Could she separate what happened in training to what happened the rest of the time? There was one thing that Lucy was sure of. There would never be anyone better to train her to fight, and that alone was worth the risk she was taking. "Yes, I'm alright with that," she finally answered.

"Rest well then, because we'll start bright and early tomorrow," Xander said with a malicious grin.

For the rest of their stay in the Lone Islands, Lucy was sure that her muscles were going to burst into flame at any second. She rowed and rowed and rowed; and when she wasn't rowing she was learning how to move all over again. It was hard and it was slow but at the same time, Lucy could remember only a few things that were so worthwhile. It also showed her a different aspect of Alex, one that she'd never suspected was there. Lucy had figured that she would predominantly deal with his goofy persona, only seeing the harder, colder Alex when she screwed up. But the truth is she saw neither of those. Instead she was treated to a gruff, older seeming Alex that was infinitely wise and patient and who would work with her ceaselessly until she had mastered what he wanted her to do. It was like dealing with a young Professor Kirk. But progress was made, and by the time they set sail for Narnia, Lucy was ready to start finding her weapon.

Giles had a theory, and it was one that Xander agreed with; that everyone had their ideal weapon. The one weapon that the person would instantly take too, one that they would instinctively know the strengths and weaknesses and one that would blend itself perfectly to their style of fighting. Take Cordelia for example; Xander knew that the girl had been nearly useless with a short sword, but with a cavalry saber, she was almost instantly Angel's equal. It was simply her weapon. Now it was time to find Lucy's, and they had the few days of their voyage back to Narnia to discover it.

Now that he had time to watch and understand what was going on around him, Xander had come to one definite conclusion; sailing was just the coolest thing in the world. Without a doubt, Xander knew that he had a new hobby when he got back to his version of reality. He loved the sounds and the sea and he wondered why he'd never been interested in it before, since Sunnydale was on the ocean after all. He had no idea as to why it suddenly clicked with him, but he was determined to make up for lost time. He learned all that he could from the sailors, and helped out when he could, after all an extra hand was always appreciated. It was a pleasant voyage without any real problems beyond the stray storm or three. This gave Xander lots of time to work with Lucy. The rolling deck also made the Tai Chi lessons even more effective.

"How am I supposed to do this," Lucy demanded as she wobbled yet again.

"Take your boots off," Xander said. Once she had he told her, "now close your eyes and feel your surroundings. Feel the ship through your feet, feel how it moves and how it is going to move." After a couple of minutes he quietly said, "Now from the top, begin." And the two of them began moving flawlessly through the routine despite the pitching and rolling of the ship.

When they were finished Lucy opened her eyes, "I could feel it, I could feel what the ship was about to do and was able to compensate for it."

"That's exactly what's supposed to happen," Xander said with a smile for his student. Now let's try the scimitar. Lucy's face fell but she went to get the practice blades. It had become the best entertainment on the ship and also the subject of a huge betting pool. Several times a day Xander would try Lucy out with different weapons to see which one fit her. The crew never said anything, but their eyes were always on the queen and her one-eyed trainer. It was clear after only a few passes that the scimitar wasn't Lucy's weapon. After Xander disarmed her he suggested, "Maybe we should try something completely different. How about we try maces after Lunch?"

"Can't wait," Lucy replied, in a heavily sarcastic voice.

"Now cut that out," Xander cut in. "I'm the sarcastic one; you're supposed to be the perky one."

Lucy just responded by sticking her tongue out at him; and Xander laughed. Later, Lucy did surprisingly well with the mace. How she fought with it gave Xander an idea, one he planned on putting into practice the next morning and one he hoped he'd survive.

After breakfast the next morning, Lucy was doing her usual chore of cutting up wood for the cook fire; she was using a hatchet for this. Suddenly Alex's voice called out, "Hey Luce, catch." She looked up and saw another hatchet coming towards her. Her left hand shot out instinctively and grabbed it out of the air. She looked back at Alex to ask what she needed another hatchet for when her eyes got wide. Alex was lunging at her with a sword. The look on his face wasn't his usual playful grin, no he was deadly serious. With a shriek of surprise, Lucy changed her stance and blocked his lunge with her right hatchet, then swiping at him with her left.

He dodged her strike, and then attacked again. Lucy started falling back, her hatchets parrying Alex's strikes almost instinctively. Her body was doing things automatically because her mind was awhirl. Alex wasn't playing and he wasn't pulling back, his strikes were at full power and speed. What's more, the blade he was using was live, not one of the blunted practice blades that she was used to using. Fear blossomed in Lucy as Alex's strikes continued to be close and it soon became clear that she would have to fight with all she had if she expected to survive. It was also clear that the crew thought that this was normal because they weren't reacting in the least to what was going on around them.

The fight ranged all over the ship, from the forecastle to the poop and even up into the rigging. As it went on, Lucy's clothing became torn as there were more and more near misses from Alex's striking sword. Lucy was parrying frantically by the port railing near the poop deck stairs when the flat of Alex's sword caught the outside of her right handed hatchet and he pushed it down and to her left, also catching her left handed hatchet. They struck and lodged in the railing with a sound like a fist on a coffin lid.

Breathing hard, Lucy looked up into Alex's eye. He wasn't smiling, there was no grin of triumph and he even looked to be breathing hard. His sword was at her throat, but she refused to look away, refused to show any weakness too him. After several moments of silence he spoke.

"Have you ever fought so well Majesty?"

"No," she gasped out.

"Then I believe that we've found your weapon. Wouldn't you agree?"

"What?" she asked, her mind not keeping up with the conversation.

"I'd say hand axes are definitely the way to go with you, what do you think?"

It slowly dawned on Lucy that this had been a test, that somehow Alex had figured out what her ideal weapon was and then tested that belief in the most realistic way possible. "The crew," she asked finally.

"I spoke to them last night and told them what I'd do. I got quite a few descriptions of what would happen to me if you were hurt, but ultimately they agreed to stay out of it."

"You asked me what I thought."

"Yes."

"I think you are one of the scariest, nastiest, most ruthless men I've ever met; thank you for that."

"It wasn't my pleasure, but it was my duty your highness."

"True enough. Now what comes next?"

"We'll find a couple of hand axes that suit you and start you working with them this afternoon. Meanwhile, I believe that the cook still needs his wood."

Lucy wrenched both hatchets out of the railing and handed one to Alex, "then it's a good thing I've got an assistant, isn't it."


	5. Narnia

NARNIA

Xander would never forget his first view of Cair Paravel. He and Lucy were working through a Tai Chi routine on the main deck, the not quite risen sun casting barely enough light for them to work in. The ship rounded a headland just as the sun rose and castle with the surrounding town came into view. It was like a bright jewel had appeared out of nowhere and Xander was spellbound. His work in construction had given him an appreciation for architecture and the structure he was looking at now hit all the high points. But beyond that, it was beautiful as a whole, one of those rare structures that was greater than the sum of its parts.

Lucy gave a little laugh, looking at her teacher, who was clearly lost in his own little world right now. "It is beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Xander replied, still a little spacey. "But it reminds me more of Notre Dame or a cathedral like that rather than a fortress. It's more like a holy place."

"It is in a way," Lucy replied. "It's been here as long as Narnia has. According to the talking beasts; whose history goes back to the creation, it was made here by Aslan when he created the world."

"I believe it," Xander said, still lost in wonder.

"So are we going to finish, or do you need to drool a bit longer?"

Xander looked over at the laughing young woman, his eye glittered maliciously. "Just for that, how about we have a little spar before we land?"

"You're just mean Alexander Harris," Lucy pouted.

For Xander, it was like living in a storybook. The ship was met by a throng of happy, smiling beings. Xander would not say people simply because very few of them were humans; and that is what made things so magical. There were dwarfs and centaurs and dryads and fauns and animals of every kind; all talking at the same time. All happy that their Queen had returned. Xander, who was dressed as a sailor because most of his clothes had been worn to rags, was mostly ignored by the crowd. This gave him a chance to watch Lucy, something he didn't seem to tire of. It was clear as she moved through the masses that she loved her subjects and they loved her in return. This told Xander a great deal about how the four ran the country. Suddenly the crowd stilled a bit and bowed low as a dark haired young man approached. From his dress and the way that the crowd behaved, Xander had no doubt that this was King Edmund, Lucy's brother. He watched from just behind Lucy's right shoulder as the two siblings embraced.

There was a quick and quiet conversation where the words Narrowhaven and Peter were featured and then Xander was feeling himself being pulled forward by Lucy. "And this is Alexander," she exclaimed loudly. "He rescued me on Fellimath and then guarded me during the battle on Doorn." The crowd got even quieter as they heard this news.

"Thank you for taking care of my sister," King Edmund said with a nod of his head.

"It was my pleasure as well as my duty, your majesty," Xander replied, with his own small bow. The crowd around him cheered, causing Xander to blush and Lucy to laugh.

She looked at Edmund and after a moment of silent communication she pulled someone out of the crowd and turned towards Xander. "This is Timerus," she said. He is our majordomo and will show you to your new quarters. "I'll see you at the feast," she said and then very boldly raised up on her toes and kissed Xander's cheek.

"Feast, what feast?" Xander called out but he was already being led away by someone who was shorter than Buffy and Lucy was obviously having a good laugh at his discomfiture. 'Might as well make the best of it,' he said to himself.

It didn't take Xander long to notice the hairy legs and come to the obvious realization that Timerus was a faun. He was also obviously someone important as the crowd parted easily for him and there were many looks of respect thrown the faun's way. Idly Xander wondered what his room would be like. He had a castle room at the Scotland headquarters and wondered if this would be similar. As to the rest, Xander wasn't too sure how he felt about being the center of attention in front of a bunch of strangers. Parties were not really his thing; and attention even less so. He sighed heavily and worked to keep up with the faun.

"So how do you like Narnia, stranger," the faun asked as they climbed a staircase.

"It's beautiful," Xander answered honestly. "I've seen and been in castles before, but never one like this."

"Well, Cair Paravel is pleasant to be sure . . . . .," the faun started.

"But you'd much rather be outside," Xander finished for him. "I know what you mean."

"Truly," the faun asked, surprised at what the human had said.

"Yeah, I spent most of the last two years wandering over a place larger than Calormen, and even now it feels strange being inside so much, especially in a building made of stone."

"Why were you wandering," Timerus asked; it was clear that he was curious about Xander but he wasn't being pushy.

"I was searching for people, young girls who needed my help. They had been given a great gift, but with the gift came responsibility and I needed to be there to teach them that."

"A worthy quest, were you successful?"

"More often than not," Xander replied, but the sorrow at his failures were clear to the faun.

Xander was about to say something else, when they came to his room. He was speechless. In some ways this was very like his room in Scotland. The room was not huge, but it was perfectly proportioned. The furniture was utilitarian, but very well made and the décor was lovely without being ostentatious. The difference was the light. In Scotland, the castle managed to be gloomy, even on a sunny day and extra lights always seemed to be needed. Here, though, light seemed to spring out of the stones themselves and perfectly illuminate the entire room. "This is perfect," Xander said finally. "Thank you Timerus."

"Thank their majesties when you see them," the faun answered. "You have a few hours to relax, and then I or another will be up to take care of your bath and with proper clothes for the feast."

Xander looked around again in wonder, then turned to the faun. "Thank you again, Timerus."

"You are welcome stranger," the faun said; then, quick as a wink; he was out the door.

For his part, Xander stowed his few possessions and made sure that his weapons were both out of sight and easily accessible; then he sat at the eastern facing window and just looked at the ocean. It had been a remarkable journey so far.

Xander had just meant to lie down to test the bed, so he was very surprised when a knocking at the door woke him up. He managed to croak out, "come in," as he sat up and tried to rub the sleep from his eyes. It was Timerus again, only this time he was accompanied by several other fauns, all carrying clothes.

"It is time to get ready," the faun told him.

"Thank you Timerus," Xander said with a yawn. Then looking around he asked, "Where do I wash up?"

"Your bath will be here presently, but for now you need to decide what to wear."

"I'm not much for fancy clothes," Xander replied. "Whatever is simplest usually works best for me."

Timerus looked a bit scandalized at the human's indifference, but it had not been unexpected, Queen Lucy had warned him that this would be the stranger's preference. With a look he dismissed the other faun's, who had stowed their burdens in the room's wardrobe and lay what he held out on the bed. "I believe that you will find these most satisfactory as well as appropriate for the evening."

There were a lot of things that Xander didn't recognize in the pile of clothes that he was supposed to wear, but they were all in a golden, sunshine yellow that he loved and trimmed in black and white. It wasn't a Hawaiian shirt, but Xander figured it was probably the closest local equivalent. He spent a very embarrassing five minutes having the faun tell him what went where and why; but afterwards Xander felt confident that he could at least dress himself properly. Timerus left, and almost immediately there were several people there with a large copper bath and hot water. Despite his initial embarrassment at having attendants while he bathed, Xander discovered the joy of Narnian baths and soon after that he was properly dried, dressed and accoutered. Which was exactly when Timerus showed back up to take him to the feast.

Xander followed the chatty faun, not hearing much of what he said as Xander was still marveling at the castle; but three words did make themselves understood. "What do you mean, 'Guest of Honor'?"

"As the one who rescued Queen Lucy and aided so greatly in the final battle, this feast is partially in your honor, did you not know."

"I was hoping that her majesty was joking," Xander replied with a bit of trepidation.

"Don't worry," Timerus told him. "You will be sitting next to Queen Lucy, so just watch her and you'll figure out what to do well enough."

"If you say so," Xander muttered, not really wanting to spend an entire meal with everyone looking at him. Soon they were at a set of double doors. Timerus knocked lightly and then stepped back, leaving Xander standing there by himself. The doors were opened by two centaurs, each one holding a sword almost as tall as he was, and Xander stepped into the room. The splendor was only half of what shocked him.

As Xander stood there, he realized that all eyes were on him so he schooled his features to not exhibit the shock he was currently feeling. He had thought that he only knew two people in Narnia, but now he realized that indeed, he knew three. Sitting up on the dais, next to Lucy sat Lady Dalharn, a younger version to be sure, but it was her nonetheless. Lady Dalharn was Susan of Narnia. His mind was moving at light speed as Peter was standing there extolling his virtues; it explained so much. Why she seemed to recognize him, her familiarity with his likes and dislikes, he now understood what she had been waiting for; recognition. Lady Dalharn knew that at some time, he was to be going to Narnia, and she had been waiting for him to recognize her, which would have told her that he'd made the journey. Now that he had worked that out, Xander also realized that he'd have to keep this under his hat. He could not talk about what he knew because; to quote Doc Brown, 'no one should know about their future'.

As Xander was coming to this conclusion, Peter was finishing up his speech. For his part, Xander channeled Giles and his own hard won lessons in diplomacy as he spoke to the crowd, thanking Peter for this great honor and downplaying his own role in this and instead, extolling the virtues of those who had been around him.

Many smiles answered this speech, and Xander soon found himself seated between Lucy and Susan. Though he didn't mean to do it, Xander found that he couldn't stop looking at Susan, trying to spot similarities between the young woman she was now and the much older version that he knew. This didn't sit well with Lucy. She had been smiling and laughing at the start of the feast but had steadily become sullen as it had carried on. When Peter declared an end to the feast; Lucy bolted for the door, rather than stay and dance. As soon as he was able to make his excuses, Xander followed after her.

Lucy was pacing rapidly on the balcony that overlooked the ocean. She didn't know if she should laugh, cry or scream at the unfairness of it all. One man, that was all she really wanted out of life, one man that was smitten with her instead of Susan. Lucy thought she'd found the one with Alex. Despite her inexperience, Lucy knew that they had something together, and that given the chance it might grow. But then he'd shown up to the feast and his eyes had been entirely on Susan. Oh he'd talked to Lucy, but she could see him sneaking glances all during the feast. Lucy had seen it before, too many times to count. Suddenly she heard the doors crash open and the sound of rapid footfalls on the stone; and just like that, the object of her anger was right in front of her.

"God, I'm so sorry about that Luce."

"What's to be sorry for," Lucy spat the words out, her anger making her almost unintelligible. "You've obviously found someone you like more than me."

"Now that's not true," he protested.

"Isn't it," she shot back. "You couldn't take your eyes off of her during the feast. It's happened to me before you know; many times so don't think you're so unique. You think I'm wonderful until you see Susan, and then I'm just forgotten." Part of Lucy hated this, the all of her old anger and resentments were bubbling up and being flung at Alex, right or not.

"You think I like Susan?" he asked, honestly sounding perplexed.

"It was obvious; you couldn't stop looking at her." Again, Lucy winced as her insecurities came out to play.

"There was a reason I couldn't stop looking at her, but it has nothing to do with who I like or don't like."

"Really, then what is it?" Lucy couldn't believe that Alex was actually going to try and talk his way out of this. But then a small voice in her head noted that if he didn't care about her, he wouldn't be trying to make things better. Irrationally, this gave Lucy hope.

Here Lucy saw Alex suddenly look pained, as if he were debating with himself. He looked out over the ocean for a moment or two, and then turned back to her. "I can tell you, but you have to promise that what I tell you stays between us. You can't tell a soul what I'm about to tell you; not family, not friends, not the smallest talking mouse."

"Why not?" Lucy replied, now perplexed. Her emotions were whipsawing from one end of the spectrum to the other.

"You'll understand when I tell you what it is, but I need your promise before I tell you."

"Will it hurt my family?" Lucy asked. That was the ultimate test in her book.

"Hurt; no, it won't hurt your family."

"Very well then, you have my word."

She saw Alex breathe a sigh of relief. "Do you remember me talking about my previous life?"

"Of course."

"And do you remember me talking about setting up a permanent station in Kenya?"

"Yes," Lucy replied slowly, wondering where Alex was going with this.

"Do you remember the name of the person helping me with the government and everything there? She even gave us the land to use?"

"Lady Dalharn, I believe." This was getting strange, Lucy thought. How would someone living in Africa sixty years after she was living in England have anything to do with Narnia?

"Yeah, but you know her better as your sister."

"What?" Lucy blurted out, certain that she could not have heard what she'd just heard.

"Lady Dalharn is also Susan Pevensie or Susan of Narnia."

Lucy was silent for a minute or two. It certainly wasn't close to what she'd expected him to say. Part of her head was screaming that it couldn't be true, while another was telling her that it was too insane to not be true. All together, Lucy Pevensie was a very confused young woman. "You're telling me that you know my sister in the year 2006?"

"Yep."

"And she's the widowed wife of a British diplomat, currently living in Kenya."

"You've got it."

"What about the rest of us, Peter, Edmund and me; or out parents?"

"She never mentioned any of you, and there aren't any pictures of you in the common areas of her house. She does talk about her husband's family, but until I just saw her now, I thought she must have been an only child."

"So why can't I tell her?" Lucy asked, surprised at Alex's news.

"Because no one can know about their future."

"Why not?"

"Because they could change everything."

"How do you mean?"

"Let's say that through conversations, the Susan of the future told me that her sister was married to a man that struck her. I tell you, and then you never marry the man."

"That sounds like a good thing."

"Yeah, but that would also mean that any children you had would never be born. Any good you did, anything or anyone you'd affected with your life might not occur. It would probably not have a very big effect, but what if one of your children was destined to cure cancer or make some other huge discovery. Then none of that would happen. So you can't tell Susan because there's no telling what would change because of it."

"Oh," Lucy said finally. "I understand."

"That's good," Alex said with a grin. "And my earlier apology still stands, I'm sorry I made you feel bad."

Lucy thought back to something Alex had said early on, "So you're not smitten with Susan?"

"Not really, why would you think that I would be?"

"Well, she is so much prettier than I am."

"Let me ask you something, and please give me an honest answer. If that had been Susan rather than you on that beach, would she have even tried to fight; or would she have been captured and then waited for someone to rescue her?"

Lucy thought about it a minute, she didn't want to talk poorly about her sister, but other than archery, Susan had never shown any inclination to fight for any reason. "The second one would be most likely," Lucy finally said.

"And that is why however pretty you might think she is doesn't matter to me. I look at the heart first, not the face. Although to be honest your face is simply adorable. But I could honestly never fancy Susan because her heart's not nearly as strong as yours."

"But she's so much prettier," Lucy whispered again almost as if she was trying to force herself to believe it.

Alex snorted, "That's not true. You are just as pretty as your sister."

"Now you're just flattering me so I won't be mad anymore'" Lucy said with a laugh. It was finally becoming clear that Alex actually preferred Lucy to her "pretty" sister; it was almost beyond belief. Her entire life, people had been comparing her to Susan, and as far as Lucy was concerned, she had always finished second to her older sister.

"No, I honestly believe that."

"You really don't think she's prettier than I am." This time it almost came out silently, because one of Lucy's unalterable truths of life was dying an unlamented death.

Alex took her in his arms and looked down into her face. "Lucy, a long time ago I learned that looking pretty on the outside has very little to do with how beautiful a person is. You are a remarkable person Lucy Pevensie, and I'm honored to know you." He leaned forward and placed a light kiss on her forehead, then on her nose and finally her lips before hugging her tightly. Lucy thought it might very well be the happiest moment of her life.

The next month was pleasant with Lucy teaching Xander how to sail in exchange for his training her to fight. The two still kept up their practices and the Tai Chi, but it wasn't as intense as it had been; now it was more a matter of maintaining Lucy's level of training. Xander also got to know all of Lucy's family, and he told them stories about future events and things that had happened in his life. He also got to see how the kingdom was run. Peter was the obvious head, but he delegated to the point where all he really had to deal with was external threats to Narnia. Edmund was the bureaucrat, he made sure that all the t's were crossed and the i's dotted. Susan was the diplomat, embodying the entire concept of royalty as none of the others seemed to be able, and Lucy was the flag. It sounded strange, but that's what she was. The people of Narnia loved her, she was their living symbol, their totem and it was often made very clear to Xander what every Narnian would do to anyone or anything that tried to hurt her. Xander lost count of the number of glares, nasty looks and shovel speeches (or their equivalents) he received while they were out in the country.

Xander tried to get along with them and did to a degree; but he avoided Susan as much as he could. He felt uneasy around her; like he was going to just start blurting out her future if he was around her for too long. Xander had no trouble with Peter, but he just didn't seem to get along well with Edmund. It was clear that Edmund thought that Xander was just a clown and a passing infatuation of his sister's. For his part, Xander thought that Edmund should really work at getting the poker out of his ass. 'You can't please everyone,' Xander thought more than once.

Romantically; there were lots of long, moonlit walks with Lucy and kissing and such, but nothing more than that. For Xander, it was yet another unique experience. He'd done the heated passion relationship and the sexual Olympics relationship, now this was the slow boil relationship. He could tell that Lucy was all about the romance; with all the hearts and flowers she could wedge in, and that was okay with Xander. He was becoming closer and closer to Lucy as time went on and he was finding that the old fashioned courtship deal was really a very pleasant thing.

When dealing with the rest of the world, though, Xander started to feel a little awkward, like he wasn't Xander Harris, but had turned into Mr. Queen, basically he felt like he wasn't earning his keep. That ended one day when Edmund showed up, not saying anything but watching the Tai Chi routine. It was clear to Xander that he wanted to say something ('Probably something snotty', Xander thought) but was holding himself back. Finally, as the routine ended, Xander just looked at the young king and said, "What?"

"What, what?" Edmund replied, sounding unusually foolish.

"You've been dying to say something, so what is it?"

"Well," Edmund began. "I don't see why all this is so important. You're just moving around slowly, what's the use in that?"

"The use is that you have to learn how to move correctly in order to fight correctly. Any idiot can swing a sword, but very few can truly fight with one."

"Which am I," Edmund asked, getting a bit angry. Edmund believed that Alex was taking the opportunity to taunt him

"I don't know, I haven't seen you fight," Xander replied easily.

"How about now," Edmund asked, obviously rankled.

Xander looked over at Lucy, who gave him a little smile and nod; then he turned back to Edmund. "Sure, we're pretty much done here anyway. How do you want to do this?"

Edmund, who, as usual, was wearing his full armor; drew his sword and said, "If you've got a shield I could use, then I'm ready."

"Sorry," Xander replied, "no shields here, I don't believe in them."

"Don't believe in them," Edmund spluttered, "what kind of fighter are you?"

Xander called out to the nearest guardsman, "Have someone fetch King Edmund's shield please." Then he turned to the young man, "as to what kind of fighter, we're going to find that out."

While they were waiting for Edmund's shield to make an appearance, Xander armed himself with only bracers on his forearms, greaves on his shins, a metal gauntlet on his left hand that covered everything up to the bracer and a large parrying dagger in his right. His right hand was also covered in a chainmail glove.

"That's all," Edmund asked. Xander just nodded. "You do realize that this is a true sword and not a practice one," Edmund continued.

"So's the dagger, what's your point," Xander replied. Seeing the look on Edmund's face he continued. "I'm used to fighting with an axe that could easily cut you in half or remove a limb, armor or no. Since I don't want to kill or maim you, I figured that this was the best way to go."

Not knowing how to respond, Edmund just shrugged. Soon his shield was brought down and Edmund armed himself and turned to his opponent. "Are you sure about this?"

"Sure," Xander replied. "Now my curiosity is up."

And with that, Edmund swung at the one eyed man. He twisted the blade, so only the flat would hit, but he didn't hit. Somehow Alex had avoided the blow without seeming to have moved. Edmund swung a backhanded blow that was blocked and Edmund realized that Alex was also effectively blocking his shield with his sword arm. Just as that realization hit, Edmund felt cold metal on his nose and understood that Alex had lunged forward and pinched Edmunds nose with his gauntleted hand. Edmund stepped back, not quite sure about what had just happened. Thinking, hoping that it had been a fluke, Edmund attacked again. It was to become one of the most humiliating days of his life. He was a good fighter, he knew that. He'd won any number of battles and yet he could not even manage to land a blow on the man in front of him. For the next twenty minutes, he would strike and Alex simply wouldn't be there to receive the blow and by the time Edmund had recovered, Alex had landed a strike somewhere. What was worse was when Edmund would miss and then he'd feel a slight tug on his shield or a light push on his shoulder and then would find himself sprawled out on the ground with Alex standing over him, wearing the devil's own grin. Edmund tried every trick he knew and a few he'd made up on the fly, but nothing seemed to work. Finally, dirty, exhausted and embarrassed, he dropped his shield and raised his arm in defeat; he knew when he'd been bested. He looked at the man in front of him, who; for once, wasn't wearing his customary smile. Before Edmund could say anything, Alex started.

"You're one of the best swordsmen I've ever met," Xander said, slightly winded. "That was some brilliant work. You're footwork is a bit sloppy and that affects your balance. You also need to get used to using your shield for more than just defense, but all that's easily corrected."

Again, before Edmund could answer someone else spoke. "I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself. How did you move that way?" Peter asked. He'd come running when word got to him that Edmund and Alex were going to spar. At first he was upset with Edmund for taking on a barely armed opponent, but Lucy quickly told him that the lack of weaponry was Alex's idea. Then Peter had been astounded. He'd never seen anyone move the way that Alex could, moving just enough to avoid Edmund's blows, and then countering with lightning speed. Early into the spar, Peter began feeling sorry for Edmund.

"Practice," Alex answered. "Lots and lots of practice."

"I'm sure," Peter said, and then seemed to come to a decision. "You know, I believe that we have a new 'Master at Arms' in Narnia."

"We've never had a 'Master at Arms' in Narnia," Edmund replied sitting up.

"Well I think it's about time we did," Peter replied with a grin.

Xander just looked over at a wildly smiling Lucy and answered with a smile of his own. He'd made a place for himself.


	6. Archenland

ARCHENLAND

The next two months were fairly calm and relatively normal for Xander, considering that normal included talking animals and creatures out of fairy tales. As Narnian master at arms, it was now his duty to train the royal guard, even those who were not human. He did this while he was still training Lucy but had added Edmund to be fully trained and he sparred on a regular basis with Peter. He was busy but enjoying his life. But like the world that he was from, Narnia seemed to have something against Xander having anything approaching a regular life and was continuously doing its best to keep his life interesting. Idly Xander wondered from time to time if D'Hoffryn hadn't laid some kind of curse on him because of what had happened to Anya. It also seemed possible that somehow the Kalderesh blamed him for what happened to Jenny and Angelus. Those were as good an excuse as any for the chaotic mess that was his life. This time the shakeup came at dinner, which he regularly shared with all the Pevensie's and Peridan the seneschal and most of the nobles and clan heads.

"A messenger arrived today," Peter announced in between courses.

"Where was he from and what did he want?" Susan asked.

"He was from King Lune and it was concerning his son; Cor. Do you know who that is Alex?"

"Lucy told me a bit," Xander replied. "Wasn't he the 'lost prince' that came out of nowhere to save the country?"

"The very one," Peter answered with a grin.

"But what could be the problem?" Lucy asked. "He seemed to be a good lad, what little I saw of him; and King Lune is an excellent father."

"All true," Peter replied. "The problem, in a nutshell, is that the boy has had absolutely no training and is now twelve and the crown prince."

"Meaning that he is old enough to be challenged but would have no way of defending himself," Edmund realized at once.

"Indeed," Peter said gravely. "Now word has reached the King concerning the brilliance of our new Master at Arms and asked that he come down and take over the boy's weapon training."

"Sure, I'll do it," Xander said. "But why me, I'd think there'd be lots of men willing to train the kid."

"Two reasons," Peter said. "The first is that the boy just saved the country from the gravest danger it ever lay in, so . . ."

"Anyone from Archenland would be in hero worship mode, and not do a proper job;" Xander concluded.

"Just so. And the second reason is that the boy has absolutely no training at all. The King's arms masters are used to dealing with a twelve year old that has already practiced half his life. The King believes that they would be unable, using their usual techniques; to get the boy to where he could defend himself quickly enough."

"Well, I'll see what I can do," Xander said with a small bow of his head. "But you do realize that I have absolutely no idea where I'm going; right?" he added with his customary grin

"I'll guide you," Lucy said, a shade too quickly, then she blushed. "Besides, I can take care of any diplomatic incident that you might cause," her delightful smile returning to her face.

"Lucy does raise a good point," Edmund spoke up. "Despite his abilities, Alex is considered a commoner; some of the Archenlandian nobility might kick up a bit of fuss."

"Well, that's easily remedied," Peter replied with a smile. "And it's something I've needed to do as well." He stood, and of course all there stood as well. "Alexander Harris, come forward," Peter's voice boomed out over the hall.

Slowly Xander moved until he was in front of the king with is back to the rest of the hall. He had an idea about what was going to happen, and the notion felt strange to him; like the thought itself had weight. He stood facing the High King as he weighed the pros and cons in his head, the thoughts going through him in the matter of an instant.

"Kneel please Alex," Peter said; his voice was not as loud, but it was clearly heard in every corner of the hall.

Xander knelt and managed not to flinch when Peter drew his sword. The flat of the blade touched each shoulder and then his forehead as Peter intoned. "I name thee 'Sir Alex Harris, knight of Narnia and Narnian Master at Arms', arise Sir Alex."

Xander stood and gave Peter a little grin. He knew that there had been words said to the High King because he was a commoner and Lucy was royalty. Now Peter had put them on equal footing. Xander mouthed the words 'thank you', before turning and facing all of those in the hall. A spontaneous cheer broke out, and Xander blushed bright enough to make Willow jealous.

It was difficult to imagine, but Xander had found something that he hated just as much as he hated vampires. It had sounded so simple at first, just ride a horse to Archenland; you sit on the saddle and the horse does all the work. Easy, right. Except for the leg cramps, shooting pains up and down his spine and a numb butt, it was easy.

"You've got to relax a bit," Lucy said with a laugh in her voice.

"Yeah, easier said than done," Xander replied with a grimace as his left thigh decided that it was its turn to cramp.

"If you can do your Tai Chi routines on a pitching and rolling ship, riding horseback should be easy," Lucy insisted; with even more of a laugh and zero sympathy in her voice.

Xander took her words to heart and silently studied how the horse was moving. He was soon picking up on the rhythms and adjusting the way his body reacted to them in order to smooth things out. Xander realized that it was simply a matter of dealing with something new, but right now that realization did nothing for his aching back. Xander and Lucy, along with two guardsmen and Sylvie, her lady in waiting (who happened to be a dryad) were making their way through the woods of southern Narnia on their way to Archenland. It would take them the rest of today and tomorrow to get to the pass into Archenland and another day after that to arrive at Anvard. Xander was looking more forward to the destination, the journey; not so much. As the day went on, he found that he was moving easier with the horse and that his back wasn't quite the mass of pain that it had been when they'd started. Part of that was talking to Lucy. She was so vibrant and lively here in the woods that it was difficult for Xander to keep a smile off of his face as he marveled at the animation in her voice and movements. He loved her, this he knew for certain; and he was pretty certain that she loved him as well. Xander hadn't thought he'd ever fall in love again after everything that had happened in the 'Anya saga'. He had counted it enough that he had loved two very remarkable ladies in his life and that was enough for any man. He'd started dating again before he'd come to Narnia, that was true; but he hadn't expected to find someone special, it was more a matter of not wanting to be lonely any more. And then he'd come here and found Lucy, literally. The rational part of his mind understood that they could lose each other at any time; that was how things seemed to work out in these magical countries after all. But most of his head; and the rest of him, was simply basking in the joy of being in love and could care less that it would most likely be fleeting. Suddenly a voice pierced his reverie.

"Have you heard a word I've been saying?"

"I'm afraid not love," Xander replied casually. "I was simply thanking whatever gods there are that led me to you."

He looked over at Lucy and was surprised to see her staring at him, gaped mouthed. What had he said, Xander reviewed his words and realized that he had called Lucy "love"; it had just come out but it felt right. No, scratch that, it was right; Lucy was his love, it was as simple as that. It took a few moments, but eventually Lucy regained her composure and started talking again, this time with Alex responding at the appropriate times and they continued on their way. They made camp in a little clearing by a waterfall and as Xander went out to collect wood, Lucy came with him.

This was a conversation that Lucy really wanted to have, but she had no idea how to broach the subject gently. Indeed, just thinking about what she wanted to talk about made her blush. She had really hoped Alex would say something, but he had shown no inclination to raise the topic, so it fell to Lucy. She just hoped that she didn't bollix the whole thing. Lucy figured that they'd never be as far away from prying ears as they were now, so it was do or die. "Alex, could I talk to you about something?"

"Sure Luce, what's on your mind," he said, turning so he was looking directly at her.

"It's you and I, in a way. I mean there's something I wanted to ask you, but I really didn't know how."

"Is there a problem," he asked, now looking concerned.

"Not a problem, it's just that we've been together for a while and . . . . umm . . . .well I was wondering about, I mean kissing is fine and all but . . . ." She looked up to see Alex smiling at her as he stepped forward and laid a finger across her lips.

"I understand what you want to talk about, so let me start. First of all, if you just want to kiss and hold hands for the next year or five, that's alright with me, I love just being with you. If you want to get a bit more . . . . physical, then there are some things that we both need to know. First of all, I assume you know what goes where and why when it comes to sex, but how much do you know about everything leading up to that?"

"Well," Lucy considered, "I've listened to Susan prattling on but she, and everyone I've listened to only seem interested in the . . . . final act as it were. So there's more than just that?"

"There's a lot more, and the benefit is that you don't have to worry about getting pregnant," Alex answered with a roguish grin.

"Well that would be a plus," Lucy replied. "So tell me oh worldly companion, what else is there."

"You sure you want to hear this?"

"Indeed. Be as explicit as you can, so I won't misunderstand."

"Alright," Alex said, and he started talking. He took Lucy at her word and launched into a talk that detailed all that he knew about sex that did not involve the possibility of pregnancy. Considering his relationship with Anya, it was a long and very detailed talk. Xander figured that Lucy's resulting blush lit the forest for miles. Finally, he wrapped it all up and Lucy knew more about sex than she'd ever expected to. "Can I ask you something?" Xander asked after a moment or two of silence.

"Of course," Lucy managed to stammer out, her mind still working at sorting everything she had just heard.

"Would it be worth it, getting more physical I mean?"

"Why not?" Lucy asked, surprised at the question. For a brief second her insecurities raised their collective heads but Lucy tamped them back down. She knew Alex and knew that he was hers and hers alone.

"Well, what if something happened and then the next day you were whisked back to England and into the body of a six year old girl again? But you would be a six year old girl with the kind of knowledge that no six year old should have. I gotta think that would mess with someone."

"True, but then I already possess knowledge that no six year old should have. How bad could a bit more be?"

"I suppose," Alex said, then he looked around; suddenly feeling uncomfortable for raising a sticky subject. "We better get back before they start to think that someone ran off with us."

"True," Lucy said, and the subject of the nature of their relationship was dropped for the time being. As she walked though, the young woman thought about some of the things that Alex had told her about and she felt her whole body flush. Most sounded absolutely delectable and she couldn't wait to try one or two out.

If Cair Paravel was like a fairy tale castle, then the castle of Anvard was like a much loved summer cottage. It exuded warmth, whether that was from the red color of the stone or a reflection of the many years of peace and goodwill impounded into its arches and turrets; Xander wasn't sure. But the warmth was there, of that much he was certain. They rode up in the early afternoon and were immediately greeted by two identical boys, identical in looks at least. One was open and outgoing, a typical boy on the cusp of manhood in other words, but the second was reserved, introverted where the first was boisterous; and very self possessed.

"Greetings your majesty," the first one called out to Lucy.

"And greetings to you Prince Corrin, and you as well Prince Cor," Lucy said to the two boys. "But where is the Lady Arravis, I had expected to find her with you?"

"She is helping the huntsman with one of the hounds," Cor answered quietly. "It has some ailment and she has a way with dogs and other animals that is almost magical."

"And father is inside," Corrin cut in. "We didn't expect you for several hours yet."

"We made good time," Lucy answered, then turned to indicate Alex. "Crown Prince Cor and Prince Corrin, may I present Sir Alexander, the Narnian Master at Arms, and perhaps your teacher."

"Perhaps, I thought that he had agreed?" Corrin shot back, sounding put out.

"I have agreed to try," Xander replied. "But the relationship between teacher and student is a delicate one and you may not be able to learn from me. I should be able to tell after a day or two, but until then, nothing is certain."

"What happened to your eye," Corrin asked, turning to the dark haired man. Silence immediately descended and Corrin realized that he'd been rather impertinent, asking about things that weren't his business. Rather than apologize, (he was twelve after all), he turned back to Lucy. "If you will follow me majesty, I'll take you and your party to father immediately."

"Thank you Corrin," she replied, with enough ice in her tone to let the boy know that he was in her bad books.

Xander shot Lucy a wry look as they followed the two boys. She was irked at Corrin's lack of apology, that was clear; but he tried to convey to her that payback would be dealt with during their first training session.

King Lune's enthusiastic greeting more than made up for any earlier slight at the hands of his sons and his effusive thanks at Alex's agreement to come down had mollified Lucy. Anyway, she knew that he would exact his revenge the next day. Dinner had been fairly small and painless; the only surprise was when Alex expressed an interest in possibly training Arravis as well. The courtiers were surprised at this, but Alex had explained his belief that everyone should know how to defend themselves, not to mention the fact that the deadliest warriors he knew were all female. This shut everyone up on the subject, although Arravis looked a bit scared at the possibility of taking lessons from the gruff Master of Arms.

After the feast, and a bit of tale telling, Lucy found herself sitting in Alex's lap. They were sitting out on the balcony that their rooms shared under the waxing moon; silently looking at the stars and letting their minds wander. After a bit, Lucy mentioned that she was getting chilled and wondered if they could go in. Without a word, Xander stood up, carrying her bridal style and walked back into his rooms. He sat down in a large chair that was sitting in front of a fire that was crackling merrily in the room's fireplace. Lucy sighed with contentment and leaned her head onto Alex's shoulder, feeling peaceful in his strong arms. She was wearing a thin nightdress under a warm cloak and she was almost asleep when she realized that Alex's hands were caressing her in ways she'd never have believed. Stroking her arms, legs, back and . . . . other areas. It was pleasurable in a way that she had never experienced before. If learning weaponry had been this pleasurable, then she'd have been a proficient in a matter of days. Lucy let out a low moan when his hands found a particularly sensitive spot. Suddenly he was stroking her in a new way and Lucy lost the capability of thought.

"So what do you think of him Cor," his brother asked in another part of the castle.

"I think he'll be a very stern teacher," Cor replied. "His eye had the same look as some I'd seen before. He will hard on us, so that real fighting will be a pleasure by comparison."

"You really think so, because I'm not so sure. I mean, if he were so great a warrior, then how did he let someone take his eye?"

"I don't know," Cor replied. "But I wouldn't want to be you tomorrow."

"Why not?"

"Because he noted the lack of apology at your rather rude question, and he doesn't strike me as the forgiving type."

"I guess we'll see," Corrin said, a bit of fear twisting his gut as he rolled over and tried to sleep.

It took everything Xander had to keep from smiling the next morning. Not because of how things had gone the prior night between Lucy and himself, but at the sight of the three utterly exhausted kids standing in front of him. All three were natural fighters, not that he'd tell them that, at least not yet. They had done all that he asked and not complained or asked for explanation once, even the mouthy one. He had taken them for a run and then worked out with wooden swords, just to see what they needed most. The quiet kid was strong, but he needed to learn to move properly. The mouthy kid needed to work on his strength and the girl just needed confidence. It was like she couldn't believe that she should actually be able to handle a weapon. Alex realized that he really needed to talk to Lucy or the King about what the culture she came from was like. Well, time for that later. "Alright, you've shown me what you need, so meet me back here one hour after lunch, and wear old clothes because you'll be getting dirty."

"So what do you think, Sir Alex," King Lune asked anxiously. As they enjoyed a lunch with just a few others in attendance.

"This will be easier than I had hoped, majesty," Xander answered. "All three are natural fighters and once they are taught the basics, they should pretty much train themselves. Having a small group like this, they'll push each other so it will go faster than if I worked with each one singly. That and they all accept and respect me as a teacher. That is crucial because you cannot learn from someone you don't respect."

King Lune's relief was palpable, and Xander was happy to have eased the man's worries as much as he had. Xander knew that he would be here at least a year, he had told Lucy this much already. It would take that long to get the three to the point that they could train themselves or recognize the useful bits of training that others had. Lucy had reluctantly said that she could not stay in Anvard the entire year, but she would be with Alex as often as she could. Xander simply had smiled at her, reminded again why he loved her so much.

The hour after lunch found Xander instructing his three students in the basics of Tai Chi, it was slow going. "What good does this do?" Corrin asked after the first lesson was over. "All we are doing is moving slowly, that aids nothing."

"No," Xander replied. "You are learning to move correctly, and that is of infinite value on the battlefield."

"If we're attacked by turtles, then it may possibly do some good," Corrin said. "Otherwise it is a waste of our time."

The other two could tell that Corrin had said too much, but the Master at Arms only smiled and said, "A demonstration then." Both Aravis and Cor had noted that the smile was not mirthful in any way. Xander picked up three wooden swords and tossed one to each child. "Attack me," he said simply.

"But you're unarmed," Cor pointed out.

"Do as I say and attack me," Alex shot back. So the three did as he asked, and it was a replay of what had happened in Narnia with Edmund. Afterwards he stood there smirking down at the three exhausted children. "Being able to move correctly is the most important skill to have in keeping yourself alive in battle. There are not many rules to a fight, but the first and most important is 'Don't Die'. That is what I will try to teach you while I'm here." And with that, he strode away, leaving the children to think on his words.

At dinner, King Lune leaned over and whispered in Alex's ear, "I understand that a lesson was learned this afternoon."

Xander just nodded, then added, "what we were doing didn't have immediate and obvious value, so I had to show them that the teacher knew what he was talking about."

"I understand," King Lune said with a smile while looking at two very subdued young men.

After that, progress for each of the three was rapid, and within a few weeks, improvement wasn't just obvious, it was scary. Xander was pleased with how things were going. He was sitting on a stump after the last session of the day with a smile on his face. Lucy had returned from Narnia and he'd been told that she would be in Anvard for at least a month. Their public reunion had been subdued; there were images to be maintained after all. But Xander was looking forward to a bit of alone time with Lucy that night; he had missed her greatly and seeing her again had energized him in a way nothing ever had before. He was about to stand when he realized that he had a visitor. "May I speak to you?" Cor asked quietly.

"Of course," Alex replied. It was clear that there was something on the boy's mind, but given that he was a twelve year old boy, Xander had no idea what it might be.

"Are you in love with Queen Lucy?" Cor finally managed. Cor knew that it was a rather impertinent question but he simply could not talk to his father about what he wanted to know and asking Corrin was not even a consideration. When he had seen how Alex had greeted the queen something had told him that this man had the knowledge that he sought.

"Yes, I am," Xander replied slowly, studying Cor's face as he tried to figure out why the boy had asked that particular question.

"How did you know?" the boy asked, desperate for knowledge.

"Here, have a seat," Xander said with a grin, pointing to an old stool. "I've been in love with three women in my life, and each time the way that I fell in love was different, but there were one or two things the same. Most importantly there was respect. I didn't always like them, but I did respect them, their knowledge and their talents the entire time I knew them. The second was that once we were in love, we cared more for the other person than we did for ourselves. If you keep those two things in mind then you'll be alright. Just start with a woman you respect, and if you find over time that she cares more for you than she does herself, and you feel the same; well then I'd say you've got a match. Now some people will tell you that a pretty face is important, but I don't think so. What's important is how she looks on the inside."

Cor looked a bit perplexed at this one, so Xander elaborated. "Does she keep her word, does she treat everyone the same, does she have courage; all of those things will trump a pretty face every time. Now you're twelve, and I know you don't really want to hear this, but it's kind of early for you to be thinking about love. If there is a girl that you feel this way about, then be her friend for now, and love will come when it's called for. So," Xander asked, fixing the young prince with a glare, "what makes you think you're in love with Arravis?"

Cor looked startled, but then he ducked his head and told of their adventures in Calormen and all that Arravis had given up.

"Well," Xander said finally. "She does sound like a keeper. But while you're being her friend, also make sure that you are just as worthy of her love as she is yours. Be true to yourself and listen to your father, I doubt he'll let you stray too far off the path." Xander made a shooing motion to let the boy know that the lecture was over. As soon as the boy was gone, Lucy was there. She had known about the other two who had previously been in Alex's life; and she knew that he always grew sad thinking of them. So quietly in the training yard, she held him and comforted him, saying nothing.

A few months later most were surprised when a troop of dwarfs escorted Queen Lucy, as she returned from Narnia yet again; to the doors of Anvard. With them was a small cart carrying a large chest. They were given admittance by a surprised King Lune; after all a large troop of dwarfs were not usual guests. Once in, they asked that Sir Alex be present and he was quickly sent for. "Do you know why they are here?" the King asked Xander when he arrived.

"Yes, I commissioned some work from them, but I did not expect them to be done so quickly or I would have warned your majesty." Then turning to the dwarfs, "I assume that things went well?"

"Very well," the chief dwarf, whose name was Neffle answered. "The drawings you gave us were most intriguing and we dropped everything to work on them."

"My thanks for your enthusiasm," Xander replied.

"You are welcome to stay as long as you wish," King Lune chimed in, curious about what they had brought.

"Thank you your majesty," the dwarves answered in unison. "I believe that you'll want everyone to come to the great hall," Xander added.

Soon everyone that needed to be in the hall was there and so the dwarfs brought the chest over to Xander who opened it, and explained as he was doing so. "I asked for the finest smith in Narnia to create weapons that would suit each of you. Now I could not do this for Cor, as he is to carry the sword of Archenland, but I did have something made for him. There are original weapons for Corrin and Arravis, as well as someone else; here he shot a smirk at Lucy. He reached in and pulled out a simple but elegant sword. It had a simple ivory and gold hilt and the blade had a slight curve to it, but nothing close to what a scimitar had. "Now this is a Mameluke sword, and it is for Arravis," Xander said, holding the shining weapon out to the girl.

Slowly, almost reluctantly; she reached out for the weapon. Xander let go when her hand wrapped around the hilt and she stood there holding it. It felt right in her hand, almost as if it was merely an extension of her arm. "Thank you," she said with a glorious smile and an elegant curtsey. She then took the sheath from Xander and likewise thanked the smiths that had crafted her weapon. Arravis sat down and Xander once more reached into the chest. He pulled out two very abbreviated blades with odd looking hilts.

"These are called Kataras and they are for Corrin." Corrin looked confused so Xander put one on his left hand and continued. "Since I couldn't get you to stop punching with your sword, I figured you'd need blades that were made for punching," and he showed Corrin how they fit on his arm while the court chuckled at Xander's observation. Once Corrin understood how they worked, he thanked Xander and the dwarfs, as Arravis had, and sat back down.

Since Cor already had a sword, I had the Dwarfs make him a parrying dagger and a set of bracers for his arms since I know that he doesn't like shields. He handed these to Cor and smiled as the young man thanked the dwarfs and himself.

"Finally," Xander said, "these are for a certain young woman who has a birthday coming up." And with that, he pulled out two hand axes that were identical in every detail to his great axe, except for the scale of course. He twirled them in his hands and held them out to Lucy. For her part, Lucy swept forward between Alex's arms and kissed the man. It lasted until both had to come up for air.

Xander said, "you're welcome," as they stood there looking into each other's eyes. Lucy blushed and then accepted the axes from Alex. She was experimentally twirling them when Alex brought out the holster that he'd had made for them. When it was around her waist, Lucy felt a bit like a gunfighter from the old west. She thanked the dwarfs and then dragged Alex back to their seats.

"I take this to mean," King Lune said with a bit of sadness, "that your time has come to leave us."

"Yes your majesty," Xander said, standing up again. "The three of them know what they need to do and your captains have my instructions on how to continue their training. That is not ended, but my part in it has." He looked down at Lucy with a smile, "it is time I returned to Narnia."

"I understand Sir Alex, but take the thanks of a Monarch with you, and know that you are always welcome in the kingdom of Archenland."

"Thank you, King Lune," Alex replied.

"Now I hope you are not leaving immediately, because we must have a celebration ere you depart."

"A slight delay wouldn't be a problem," Lucy replied with a laugh. And it wasn't.


	7. Gone Gone Gone

Gone, Gone, Gone

"My lady, you need to stir yourself," Sylvie exclaimed as she burst into Lucy's bedroom. The dryad froze and realized that bursting in like that was a bad idea as she quietly contemplated the weaponry that was now pointed at her. 'Sir Alex has been a bad influence on the Queen,' the dryad thought.

"What's going on Sylvie?" Lucy asked sleepily.

"Word has come from the woods near Lantern Waste that a white stag was spotted in the area," the dryad said, while slowly backing away. "Your brother, the High King, wishes to hunt the stag and requests that you accompany him; immediately."

"Alright Sylvie, tell him I'll be there as soon as I'm dressed."

"Yes milady," Sylvie replied. "Should I send for someone else to assist you?"

"No, thank you," Lucy replied and Sylvie left, closing the door behind her.

Lucy fell back in bed, and then rolled over to look out the window at the barely risen sun. Quickly she dressed in her hunting gear and hurried to Alex's room. Lucy knew that in addition to her weapons, Alex had asked the dwarfs to make a ring as well. Lucy had a feeling that it soon would be on her hand and the thought made her feel warm all over. She was soon at his door but unlike Sylvie, she did not burst in. Instead she knocked three times before opening the door. "Wake up love," she called out from a safe distance and half covered by the door.

"It's barely morning," his voice called out from the mass of bedding. A pillow, thrown with surprising accuracy followed this pronouncement.

"Someone has spotted a white stag and Peter wants to hunt it," Lucy said as she ducked the pillow.

"That's supposed to be a good omen, right?" Xander asked.

"Yes, it is."

"Is it too much to hope that the thing was spotted somewhere close?"

"Sorry my love, but it was spotted far to the west, in Lantern Waste."

"Horseback, right?"

"Yes, we would be on horseback," Lucy said with some exasperation at his delaying tactics.

"Pass, I want to wait until my newest set of blisters heal."

"I cannot understand it," Lucy said with a huff as she came in and sat down on his bed. "How can someone who can move the way that you do on a battlefield or on a ship, not be able to master the ability to sit in a saddle without hurting yourself."

"It's a gift," Xander replied, his voice muffled by the pillows. A hand shot out from under the covers and grabbed the young queen around the waist. It then pulled her completely onto the bed as she yelled in protest. Her laughter making the threats she was yelling seem not so serious. "How about instead, you stay here and help see to my recovery, personally. I'll even let you put on the salve," he said with an eyebrow waggle.

Lucy blushed, well aware of where Alex's blisters were. Then she pulled him up and kissed him thoroughly. "That sounds lovely," she said with a lot of sarcasm; but then became more serious. "Peter asked instead of ordered, and I have to say that things have been a bit strained ever since you got back from Archenland because I've spent so much more time with you than I have with them."

It wasn't Willowbabble but it was close and Xander smiled at the memory. "Go on then," he said with a smile. "Have fun hunting and I'll be here when you get back." He flopped back down as Lucy stood after one last brief kiss

Lucy just shook her head at the man. He knew that there was some tension Lucy and her brothers and sister and it was so very like him to put her wants and needs ahead of his own. Legend held that a white stag could grant a wish if it was caught and Lucy knew exactly what her wish would be if she managed the feat. She stood in front of Alex's mirror, straightening her mussed hair and slightly rumpled clothing. Soon she was ready to go. "How do I look?" she asked.

Xander rolled over, "I think the stag will take one look at you and surrender outright."

"Am I that awful to look at," Lucy pouted. This was marred by a slight smirk, as she knew that Alex realize she was fishing for a compliment. Lucy knew that his reply would be wildly extravagant.

"Not at all," Xander replied. "I think he'll take one look at you and understand that he's not the most beautiful thing in the world and surrender to you out of awe."

"Most likely," Lucy said, practically skipping back to the bed. "I'll see you in a couple of days," she said, then kissed him passionately. "Thank you," she murmured as their lips parted.

"You're welcome," he said seriously and then reverted to his more playful self. "I'll be right here when you get back," he said with a bit of a leer. Then he sank back into the bed, closing his eyes as she left. He never saw her again.

Two days after Lucy left, Xander knew something was wrong. There wasn't anything specific, but his Scooby Sense, which had been nearly silent during his time in Narnia, was pinging madly. Despite the necessity of riding a horse to get there, Xander was sorely tempted to go out after them. But as there was nothing to base his suspicions on; he stayed at Cair Paravel. He was walking along the battlements that faced west, trying to settle his nerves and taking a break from Peridan pummeling him at chess; when he saw a figure approaching fast. His guts clenching painfully, Xander hustled down to the audience chamber; he wanted to at least give the appearance of being calm. On his way, he asked a faun to bring Sir Peridan to the audience chamber; Xander knew that the news would affect both of them. Xander was just getting his breathing under control when Chadrae, a centaur that had been with the royal party burst in. "Sir Alex, you and Sir Peridan are needed."

"Sir Peridan is on his way," Xander answered, his façade of calm in place. "Please calm down Chadrae," Xander continued, "however grave your news may be; we don't want to cause a panic." This was nearly impossible for Xander to say, the exhausted appearance of the centaur told him that the news was very bad indeed. As Xander noticed this and several other signs of fear on the centaur, he felt his guts clench even tighter. The feeling of tension in the air, like a storm just before it bursts, reminded him of the time when he had stared down Angel in the hospital.

Chadrae nodded, hearing the wisdom of Xander's words and worked to calm himself. In the short time it took Peridan to arrive Chadrae was back to the usually inscrutable appearance all centaurs seem to wear.

Peridan could see that Alex was tense but calm when he bustled in but noted that Chadrae was anything but calm despite his appearance. "What news?" he asked, knowing he would not like the answer.

"Their majesty's have disappeared," Chadrae replied, his patina of calm slipping more with each word. "They were in close pursuit of the white stag when they apparently dismounted and continued on foot; but then their trail simply vanished."

"Vanished how?" Peridan asked.

"I know not milord," Chadrae replied. "Melody the Hound was with us and said it was most strange. Their scent was strong but then it simply faded as though over time, but it was only the length of a few paces."

Hearing this, Xander's guts were no longer clenched, instead it felt as if they were simply gone and he was hollow inside. He was afraid that he knew what had happened, but that knowledge didn't bring him any comfort. Lucy was gone, and her brothers and sister with her, it was as simple as that. The only thing that was keeping him from screaming hysterics and leaving was that an entire nation was now needing him to be in control and as unemotional as possible. He knew that forcing all of his emotions down would exact a price later, but he had a mission to carry out and his soldier memories reminded him that the mission was everything. Xander didn't want to speak, he didn't want to ask the questions that he knew would yield the answers that would effectively shatter his heart, but he had to. "Tell me Chadrae; was there a lamp-post nearby?"

"I don't understand milord?" the centaur answered, looking confused.

"A metal post with a small flame on the top; a flame that does not go out and is protected by a cage of metal and glass."

"Yes," the centaur replied, after a moment of thought. "There was such a thing there and you have described it perfectly."

"And their majesty's tracks went west from there?"

"Aye, milord," now the centaur looked awed. "But how could you know that?"

"Because Queen Lucy once told me about how she and her brothers and sister came into this world. It was from a grove of trees that were just west of the lamp-post."

"What are you saying Alex?" Peridan asked.

"I'm saying that I believe that the Kings and Queens have gone back to their world, and that we are now on our own."

Peridan was silent for a moment, the reality of what Alex had told him sinking in. "So you are saying that we should now rule?"

"No Peridan, neither of us can ever rule here."

"Why not?"

"Indeed Sir Alex, either you or Sir Peridan would make a fine ruler for Narnia."

"Thank you Chadrae, but that cannot happen. And the reason is, is that it would look as though one of us had something to do with their majesty's disappearance so that we could take power from them. Because we would be gaining something, neither Peridan nor I could ever take the throne. No matter how good or beneficial our rule might be, no matter how blameless we might be, there would always be talk and rumors. Eventually it might tear the kingdom apart and we cannot risk that."

"So what are we to do?" Peridan asked forlornly, already missing his friends.

"We must find some scion of the old ruling family, no matter how distant the connection and place them on the throne;" Xander said firmly.

"Do you think that's possible, that some branch would survive after all this time?" Chadrae wondered aloud.

"Honestly, I don't know," Xander replied, "but it's our best bet. We also have to think about how we're gonna break the news to the kingdom. We can't afford a panic, nor can we appear weak, we must be firmly in control with the understanding that the two of us are merely regents until the proper ruler can be found."

"There should be a period of mourning," Chadrae said. "Losing such beloved monarchs will not be easy and the people would accept a new one better if they had a chance to mourn those lost."

"Good idea," Xander said, standing. "Peridan, if you could see to the announcement and anything particular for the mourning period please. You're much more of a people person than I am." He turned to the centaur, "Chadrae, if you could go back to where they disappeared and make sure of everything, it is possible that I am wrong about what happened. Also find their horses and anything that they might have left behind." The centaur bowed and left in a clatter of hooves.

"And what about you?" Peridan asked.

"I'll start the scholars looking for any hint of the former royal line," Xander replied as he left the audience chamber. He gathered the scholars and any others that he thought could help and set them up in a secluded part of the castle so that they could work in peace. He took care of many things that day and many Narnians were openly wondering why Sir Alex refused to be their ruler. Xander answered these questions openly and hoped that his replies would circulate through the city and kingdom. After everything that could be done, had been done; Xander made his way back to Lucy's room and collapsed as soon as the door was closed. He knelt next to the bed with his head and arms laying where Lucy would normally be, silently weeping. It just wasn't fair, he thought, to keep finding and falling in love with these amazing women, only to have them torn away. He lay there cursing fate until he fell asleep.

The next two months were an exercise in pure control for Xander. He could not allow the grief and loss that he was feeling any kind of an outlet because he was afraid that if he gave it vent; then he wouldn't be able to stop. Narnia, and indeed all the lands in the north needed him to be stalwart and true and above all, in control. Only those closest to him, Peridan, Sylvie and Timerus could see that he was constantly in agony because of what he had lost. It wasn't simply that Lucy was gone; there was more to it than that. It was how she'd been taken, with no warning and no chance for any kind of closure. And even beyond that, if Xander did get back to his home and looked up Lucy Pevensie, what could he say to a seventy year old woman, someone who had lived her life. Could he tell her he loved her, would she even be the same woman that he had fallen in love with, should he even look for her. All of these considerations simply added to the anguish of his soul. So he welded a look of mature consideration on his face and focused on the mission, there would be more than enough time to wallow down the road. Narnia had reacted as Peridan and Chadrae had expected it to, with mourning but no panic. The different countries that had sent condolences heard back from their ambassadors that Narnia was hurt, but by no means weak. And that was due to the roll that Xander and Peridan had assumed. Xander was the iron fist to Peridan's velvet glove, and between them, the country carried on.

Those who had been tasked to research possible rulers from the old line had come up with several possibilities; but when they were looked further into, it turned out that they were unsuitable in one way or another. There were only two realistic possibilities. One was an enclave of Narnian exiles who had fled to southern Calormen to escape the White Witch; the other told a similar tale, but they had fled to Terebinthia instead.

"Which should we pursue first," Peridan asked after Xander had spelled out their options.

"Well, from the looks of it, the group in Calormen is closer to the old royal line, so that is where we should try first. And if they all say no, then you're off to Terebinthia."

"And if they say no as well?"

"Then we re-consider some of those families that fled to the northlands."

"Are you serious?"

"What other options do we have? We cannot rule, nor can we place anyone from Archenland on the throne. Whoever is to rule here has to have a tie in to the old royal line, that's our only option."

"I know, but why does it have to be me?"

"Because I would simply knock the first possible candidate on the head, bring them back here and threaten them until they agreed to rule Narnia. I'm too scary and abrupt for this kind of job."

Peridan grinned at his friend for a moment then said, "You're leaving us afterwards, aren't you?"

Xander sighed, "It will take a while to get whoever we end up with up to snuff, but once that happens; yeah, I'm out of here."

"There is no way you would stay?"

"Everything I see reminds me of her, Peridan; its killing me inside to stay here but I've got a job to do. Once that's done, I have to leave or I'll die; it's as simple as that."

"I understand Alex."

"I know you do, my friend," Xander replied. He was heading back to his rooms when he turned back to Peridan. "You might want to take Aravis along with you when you go down to Calormen. She's obviously familiar with all of their customs and such. Anyway, it couldn't hurt to have someone from the country on your side."

"True," Peridan replied. "The ship will be ready in two days; we can send a message and meet them at where the Winding Arrow empties into the sea."

"That sounds like a plan," Xander said, and swept from the room.

Time moves forward, as it always does; and Xander managed to keep himself busy. He was personally training the guards when he wasn't seeing to the day to day business of running the kingdom. He had to stay busy, otherwise he would start thinking about what was going on and what had happened before and Xander was afraid that his emotions would honestly overwhelm him. Eventually word came that Peridan was returning from Calormen, unfortunately he was returning alone. Over the last one hundred years, the Narnians in exile had intermarried with the local population and thus they now considered themselves to be Calormen, and not someone who should rule in Narnia. When Peridan told Xander what they had said, the resulting language had been extraordinarily pungent, but after he calmed down, Xander had to admit that they had made a reasonable point. Unfortunately, this meant that now all their hopes were pinned on Terebinthia. Peridan stayed at Cair Paravel for two weeks, recuperating from the Calormen trip and preparing for the one to Terebinthia; and also catching up on the news from Narnia. "So there's no trace of any of them?"

"Just their horses and the gear on them, oh, and Susan's horn; it was the only one of the treasures that they had with them at the time."

"At least there's something."

There was silence for a minute or two, then Xander brought something up. "I was thinking about some kind of a public memorial but that seemed kind of . . . . un-Narnian, what do you think?"

"I don't like the idea of anything public," Peridan replied. Maybe something here in the castle though; statues or that kind of thing."

"Alright, I can track down a sculptor easily enough while you're gone."

There was silence for a bit as the two friends just sat and listened to the fire crackling, lost in their own thoughts. Finally Peridan quietly spoke, "Are you still planning on leaving after I return?"

Xander sighed, "Not immediately, but yes. After we're sure that whoever we put on the throne isn't won't be a danger to the country, I'm heading back to Fellimath."

"Can we come and find you if we need you?" Peridan asked.

"You can try, but I've got a feeling that I won't be there for long."

"You think the way will be open?" Peridan had been told of Xander's origins.

"Yeah, call it instinct or something, but I believe that I'll be able to get back once I'm where I came through to begin with."

"You will be missed."

"Thanks," Xander replied. "I'll miss a lot of the people, but it just hurts too much to stay here."

"Are you sorry that you ended up here?" Peridan asked, honestly curious.

"No," Xander answered immediately. "Meeting Lucy was one of, if not the, high point of my life, but the way we were split apart and how I'll never be truly complete because of it is just too huge a wound. I doubt I'll ever really heal, but if I'm gonna, then it can't be here. I'll miss Narnia, and you and loads of others, but I just can't stay."

"I understand," Peridan said. Then without another word, he stood and left Xander staring at the fire. Xander sat there for quite a while.

The trip to Terebinthia turned out much better than the one to Calormen, and Peridan returned to Narnia with Analisa, soon to be Queen of Narnia and her younger brother Conrad, who would be the Crown Prince until Analisa had children. She was about Xander's age with thinning mouse brown hair. She was also rail thin and badly in need of glasses; but she was kind and had left an easy life for the never ending job of ruling a kingdom. This made her OK in Xander's book. Conrad, who was sixteen, however; looked every inch the part of a dashing young nobleman. He had also originally possessed the conceit to go along with the looks.

That changed when he made the mistake of commenting on the skills of a warrior with only one eye within Xander's hearing. The young man had then suffered an epic thrashing, in the guise of a friendly spar, which had ranged all over Cair Paravel and had only stopped when the young man begged Xander's pardon within earshot of a number of people. After that, Xander had taken it upon himself to train the young man, who had turned out to be a rather decent kid when all was said and done. Xander had impressed upon Conrad the need to be a living symbol of the monarchy to the people and had suffered several trips on horseback to show the young man the lay of the kingdom and to allow the people to meet the new Queen's family.

Soon the young woman was crowned and it quickly became clear that she would make an admirable Queen for Narnia. One month after she took the throne, Xander packed his things. He did it at night, so as to cause as little fuss as possible. He took very little, just a few clothes for himself, his weapons and armor, and a scarf of Lucy's that still smelled like her and the supplies that he'd need for the trip. Peridan found him loading the little sloop that Lucy had taught him to sail. Honestly Xander wasn't surprised that the seneschal had found him.

"Her majesty understands your need to leave, and thanks you for your faithful service."

Xander looked at his friend, "Thank you for making her understand, and thanks for seeing me off."

"It was the least I could do," Peridan replied. "I'll miss you."

"And I'll miss you, but this is your place and not mine."

"I know, so how are you going?"

"I figured I'd follow the coast down to the cape at Calormen and then straight east to Fellimath."

Peridan came forward and hugged his friend, "I hope you find the peace you deserve Alex."

"So do I, my friend." Xander got into the boat and raised the sail as Peridan cast him off. The trip was easy and uneventful and sooner than he had expected, Fellimath was in sight. Xander wasn't quite sure what would happen when he got there. He suspected that there would be a welcoming committee, mostly because whatever reason he had for being here was now over. Xander hoped so, because he was dying to give the Lion a piece of his mind about how he conducted business. If Aslan wasn't there, well Fellimath was a lonely and mournful place; the kind of place he could finally grieve and let his emotions run free now that he no longer had to be strong.

As Xander approached Fellimath, he was only paying cursory attention to his sailing. Instead he was focused on a huge golden figure standing next to his cottage. Xander gave a feral smile; it looked like his wish was going to come true. Part of him realized that it was stupid to piss off the only being he knew of that could send him home, but most of him didn't care about that. Most of him was simply angry. From the stories that Lucy and her siblings told, Aslan sounded way too much like the Powers for Xander's comfort. He agreed that the Lion was a good guy, but what Aslan saw as good and what the people (human or otherwise) who danced to his tune saw as good were probably two very different things. Having a lot of time to think while he'd been sailing, Xander had examined his experiences in Narnia and had come to the realization that he'd been played, he wanted to know why. Scratch that, he was darn well going to be told why. His boat ground to a halt on the beach, but Xander barely noticed as he gathered his few possessions and clambered out and started up the path to his cabin. Aslan was larger than Xander had expected, and much more "real" than everything around him, for a second he almost reconsidered his planned course of action; but the anger won out. "Aslan," he said quietly, as he approached the Lion.

"Alexander, the way back to your world is now open, thank you for all that you have done."

"You're welcome," Xander said. He was about to simply walk past when he paused and turned. "How do you deal with the guilt?" he asked.

"What guilt would I feel?" Aslan replied, his voice completely neutral.

"I don't know," Xander's voice taking on an increasingly sarcastic edge; "how about guilt for separating two people so completely in love, how about guilt for pulling someone out of their world and sticking them in a situation where they can only do what you want them to do. How about guilt for forcing knowledge on young people; knowledge that no children should have? How about guilt for placing an entire country in peril by suddenly removing their rulers? Do you want me to go on?" Xander practically screamed.

"Those are some very serious things," Aslan rumbled. Xander could tell the Lion was angry. "Could we go inside and I will do my best to answer your charges?"

Xander just nodded jerkily and went inside. Somehow Aslan managed to follow him without destroying the doorway, Xander wasn't quite sure how he managed to pull it off, but he did. Xander sad down in his favorite chair and Aslan sat near the hearth, he was noticeably smaller than he had been outside. "You're like the Powers, aren't you?" Xander asked.

"That is close enough to true," Aslan replied. "In your reality there are many who do what I do. This place is just a small branch off the tree of creation, so I am the only one needed here."

"A small branch?"

"You might think of it as a pocket universe. I believe that you are familiar with that term."

"Yeah, I am," Xander replied. He'd read enough comics to grasp the concept.

"The main realities, let us call them the trunk realities to keep the tree metaphor going, are so large and complex that they have a large number of caretakers; it doesn't matter if you call them Elders or Powers or the Valar, they all perform the same function as I do. Which is make sure that things run according to plan. Sometimes we do distasteful things to accomplish this goal, but it is a necessity and something for which we do not feel guilt."

"So this is some kind of an offshoot of our reality?"

"In a way. It was created for many reasons, most of which I will not tell you. But one of the relevant reasons is so that people from your world can be removed from the plan without being killed. Those whose presence or actions would cause part of the plan to go awry are taken and placed here, a rather pleasant world; where they can live out their days as they see fit. For example, the Calormen were descended from a tribe that was preparing to invade and destroy the Jewish nation when it was first starting. Rather than allow that, and instead of wiping them out with a plague or something, they were brought here to live and flourish."

"So you took away their freedom to make a choice."

"Not took away, so much as finessed it," Aslan replied. "All I will say is that there are some aspects of the plan that cannot be changed. And when something threatens those aspects, then action must regrettably be taken. Nothing outside the bounds mind you, but it certainly borders on what you would call dirty pool."

"So why was I brought here, what was I threatening."

"Nothing, you were brought here because I needed you. In essence Alexander, the multiverse works much like your Mafia used to; with favors being exchanged. I needed help here and the Powers owed me a favor or two, so we arranged for your arrival here."

"That's crazy. Are you trying to tell me that throughout human history, you couldn't find anyone else that could do what I've done here?"

"Basically," Aslan replied, almost with a chuckle. "Do not sell yourself short Alexander. You are able to deal with the strange and unusual without lashing out immediately. You are able to train and instruct in several different areas. And most importantly, you are able to have power without desiring more. Like it or not, you are a rare person Alexander Harris."

"Yeah, I'm so great. You forgot to mention that I would do exactly what you wanted, so you didn't have to worry about that pesky free will thing. You knew how I'd react to all the situations even before they occurred. The problem is; you forgot one thing."

"And that is?" Aslan asked, choosing not to comment on what Alexander had to say about his free will.

"I was also the perfect guy for Lucy. We got together, fell in love and then you ripped us apart."

Aslan looked both mournful and uncomfortable. "Yes, I did do that," Aslan replied. "But separating the two of you was not done out of malice."

"Then why?"

"There is something that you must understand Alexander. The Elders, the Powers, Myself, we all have one great blind spot."

"And what is that?"

"Love, surprisingly enough."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that we have never been human, so we think and feel differently than humans. We love and care for entire worlds, entire universes; to us, the whole notion of loving just one other being so completely is impossible. We are simply not capable of doing so. So you falling in love with Lucy was something I could not foresee or plan for."

"Hang on a second," Xander said after a moment of thought. "Didn't you sacrifice yourself for Edmund when they first got here? That sounds like love to me."

"I sacrificed myself to preserve the plan for this reality," Aslan replied. "Not because of any personal feelings that I had for Edmund." Aslan suddenly looked almost abashed. "I simply cannot conceive of caring for one being that much."

Xander was stunned. "You're telling me that for all your power and knowledge and wisdom; that none of you understand love, I mean being in love."

"That is correct," Aslan replied. "I realize that this is quite a shocking revelation . ." Aslan started.

"No, actually it explains a lot," Xander said thoughtfully, cutting the Lion off. "It explains why the Powers were caught flat footed by Buffy and Angel falling for each other. It explains how they miscalculated about Buffy sacrificing herself for Dawn. It explains why they didn't see Darth Willow coming after Tara's murder. But what it doesn't explain is Lucy and I. Why didn't you even give us a chance at goodbye or even the possibility of being together back in our world?"

"For making it so that you two could never be together in either world, I do apologize. But there was a very good reason why you two were separated the way that you were."

"And that is?"

Here Aslan looked uncomfortable, like he was trying to come up with a simple way to describe a difficult concept. Finally he spoke, "There are some things, which once they are made, cannot be unmade by anyone or anything. These same things cannot be made by anyone who is not human; it is an innate function of humanity."

"You're talking about souls, aren't you," Xander asked after taking a minute or two to think about what Aslan had said.

"I am indeed," Aslan replied. "When an offspring is conceived, the soul is created, when that is done, no magic above or below can unmake it." He let the statement hang there for a moment as he watched Xander try to work out where the discussion was going. He saw realization dawn on the young man.

"So if Lucy and I had a child, or even if she just became pregnant, there was no way that she could ever leave Narnia. And for some reason she has to leave Narnia, either because she has something to do back in our world or that she has to be able to return here far in the future. In order to assure that she was free to return, you had to separate us completely before we could possibly conceive a child. Giving us a deadline or an opportunity for one last goodbye was just too risky so you handled it the way that you did."

"Correct."

"But, from what I had heard, all of her siblings were . . . . active."

"None of them could conceive; only Lucy could conceive a child."

"So, to sum up; you had to pull us apart before one of these irrevocable occurrences happened and a paradox was created because Lucy would have to leave, but couldn't leave."

"A very apt summation."

"What can I say, I read a lot of comics," Xander muttered. "The whole thing really stinks," Xander finally said, looking Aslan in the eye. He was surprised that the last of his anger had melted away. Now he only felt hollow again, he was ready to leave.

"Yes it does," Aslan replied. "I would that there were some other way of resolving this whole situation, but I could not see it."

"There wasn't," Xander said after thinking the whole situation through again. He stood and placed his hand on the Lion's head, "Thank you for telling me the truth."

"I owed you that courtesy for all that you have done for me."

With that, Xander gathered up his gear and without a backwards glance; walked into the cave and through the back wall. He never returned to Narnia.

To Khani it looked as though Xana had flashed out of existence as he attacked the evil Witch Doctor. But even as she turned to be sure, after dismembering the demon she was currently battling; Xana was standing up, his axe dripping blood. But there was something different, he was standing and carrying himself differently, she was not yet completely sure that this was her Xana. Quickly she made her way back to him. "Are you alright Xana?"

She saw the slight grimace at her name for him, and that more than anything convinced Khani that this was her Xana, and not some imposter. "Yeah Khani, I'm fine. Were any of the girls hurt? "Nothing serious Xana," she looked carefully at the man. "You vanished for a moment, what happened?"

"Mr. Mojo had a trap door to some kind of hideaway back there. He tripped it just as I killed him and it took me a while to figure out how to us back here. Fortunately time doesn't really pass there."

"As you say, Xana," Khani replied, not liking what Xander had said at all. It sounded like he had been trapped for some time. She would keep her eyes on him; she didn't want anything to happen to her Xana. She smiled a bit as he joked with the others, but she could tell that it was forced. Khani hoped that time would be all he needed to get back to being Xana again.


	8. Back in the Saddle

BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN

Xander had managed to put it off for two days, but in the end he surrendered to it. He had to know if Lucy existed still, what kind of life she'd had and where she lived now. This meant that he had to talk to the one person who could answer all of his questions, and the prospect scared him. Because once he'd gotten his answers he would then have to decide to act on them and what would that entail. Xander had gotten up early one morning, told his assistant April that he had to run a personal errand and headed off to see Lady Dalharn. His presence that early caused the butler to raise his eyebrows a bit, but the man said nothing and simply showed Xander to the Library. The wait seemed both like an eternity and all too brief when Lady Dalharn swept into the room. "Alexander," she said in greeting.

"Queen Susan," he replied, watching the woman carefully.

The transformation of her face was astonishing. She went from cool indifference to glowing friendship in the blink of an eye. "So you have been there and back, I was wondering when you would make your journey." She sat down and looked at him with warmth and pleasure. "So what can I do for the brave Sir Alex, Narnian Master at Arms?"

"It's killing me, but I have to know . . . ."

"Lucy, of course," Susan finished, leaning back into the sofa. She suddenly looked different again, a memory of old pain scudded across her features and Xander knew that the answers would not bring joy. "My brothers, sister, parents, cousin and everyone I knew that had some knowledge of Narnia died in a railway accident in 1952. Lucy went back to Narnia twice more; she even walked on Fellimath during her last visit. I went back once more and then Peter and I were banished from there."

Her words had cut Xander deeper than he thought possible. Lucy was dead; there could be no meeting, no reconciliation, not even memories of past times shared with a friend. They were irrevocably separated. But the pain in Susan's voice, even after all the intervening years, told Xander that as much as he hurt, she was hurting more. "That must have been hard for you," Xander said, sympathy clear in his voice as he sat down next to the older woman. "To have knowledge like that and not be able to tell of it because anyone hearing it would think you were insane, I understand how that can be."

"I know you do, but it wasn't hard for me in the way you think. By the time they died, I had quite convinced myself that Narnia and everything about it had been a series of childish dreams and stories that my siblings and I had made up to entertain ourselves while we were stuck in a huge manor house during the Blitz. I didn't miss talking about it because I no longer believed it to be true."

"Why?"

"Because he threw me out," Susan said; her voice rising with passion, this was the Susan that Xander remembered, her anger only serving to make her seem more regal. "A place that I was happy in, a place that I loved more than my actual home, and that damned Lion threw me out with just some half baked excuse about being too old." She stood and started pacing jerkily about the room. "Well if he didn't need me, then I certainly didn't need him, so I worked at convincing myself that it was all a dream, some sort of a shared childish fantasy. And that worked until you darkened my doorway." Finally back in control, Susan sat back down.

"When you first showed up, I thought it was a coincidence, you were someone that simply looked like the Sir Alex that I had imagined. But the things you said, the way that you talked the way you carried yourself; all these things together convinced me that you were indeed the Sir Alex that I had once known. This made me admit to myself that all those times in Narnia had been real, that they had occurred; and in a way that acceptance brought my brothers and sister back into my life. I've felt closer to them in the last two years than even before the accident, and I thank you for that."

"There's no need to thank me for that," Xander replied quickly. "I feel like I owe you a lot more than you owe me."

"I don't, but then you always were stubborn, weren't you." There was a period of silence while the room's two occupants were lost in their thoughts, but then Susan broke the silence. "She never forgot you, you know."

"She didn't?"

"No Alex, you were the great love of her life. After she was back to stay, which was about when she was eleven or so, she would still talk about you, she even drew pictures of you. As she grew older there were a lot of boys that fancied her, she was so full of life and all. Alas, none of them ever measured up to you in her eyes, so she never gave them more than a glance."

"Thank you," Xander said; his voice thick in his throat. It was one thing to believe that something was true; it was something else entirely to have it confirmed. Silence descended again, but this time it was Xander that broke it. "I don't know if you want this information or not, but I know why you were thrown out the first time."

"You do," Susan asked, her voice eager. This surprised her a bit, Susan had convinced herself a long time ago that she had made her peace with the past.

"Yeah, I stayed around a year after you all disappeared, but then I went back to where I'd come through on Fellimath and there was Aslan. We had a long talk and he told me some things, most of which are personal; but one thing he did say is why you all were sent back the first time." He paused and then plunged ahead. "You all were sent back to separate Lucy and me."

"But why would that be so necessary?"

"Because Lucy and I were getting to that point in our relationship, physically I mean, where I would be going where no man had been before." Xander felt himself blushing furiously, but he continued. "Lucy was the only one of you four that could possibly conceive a child, and if she did, then she could never go back to this world."

"And then she wouldn't be there for when we had to come back to Narnia, and the parts that she played would have not occurred and then everything would have been different;" Susan concluded. "That actually makes sense," then she looked hard at Xander. "But why wouldn't he just say that?"

"Because you were his chosen and there seems to be some kind of rule that higher powers can't clearly explain things to those that are their responsibility. But I was a wild card, loaned to Aslan and under the authority of those that perform his function in this reality, so he told me things and answered questions directly."

Susan sat back and thought about what Alex had said. "So you've actually had dealings with higher powers?"

"Kind of common around Sunnydale," Xander replied. "Buffy was the one usually dealing with them but all of us ran into their schemes at one time or another."

"I see," Susan finally said. "That must have made life interesting."

"Maddening was more like it," Xander shot back, remembering some of the non-help they'd gotten from the Powers over the years.

"I'm sure," Susan said with a smirk. Then her demeanor changed and she leaned forward. "I'm sorry my news about Lucy wasn't what you wanted to hear."

"So am I, but it's better to know the truth; and I thank you for that." He paused, and then took another plunge. "I realize that it would be an imposition, but could I come here now and again and talk to you about her, get to know her as it were through your eyes?"

Susan's eyes glowed at the prospect, "I believe that I'd like that Alex. Yes, you are welcome here at any time."

Time passed and Xander was a frequent visitor to Lady Dalharn's. This seemed to cure him of his grief and anger, but it left a soul crushing apathy in its place. He tried to get around it, to fill it with work or projects or various entertainments, but nothing seemed to fill up the empty inside. He tried dating, but no date lasted past ten at night. He tried doing things with the girls; but ultimately they just couldn't understand. He tried talking about Lucy with her sister; but it just ended with him missing her more. He even tried sailing on Lake Victoria, but all it did was remind him of Lucy. Reluctantly, Xander concluded that he couldn't do this alone, so he picked up the phone and called for help. "Hey, it's me."

"…"

"Yeah, you too." Xander hung up the phone; he hoped this would work, because if it didn't then he had no hope at all.

Buffy knew it would be bad. She'd heard the rumors, everyone had. It was a small community and everyone knew everyone else, so even in Italy she'd heard rumors about Xander. Like most gossip, the stories ran the gamut from Xander being nearly catatonic all the time; to Xander was some maniacal death machine. It was a small community populated mostly by teenage girls, so rumors about Xander flew around like leaves in a tornado; there and gone in a flash. The most reliable stories, the ones whose sources were not teenage girls; said that Xander had suffered some kind of huge emotional blow and was having a lot of trouble coming back from it. Buffy could sympathize. The thing was, Buffy knew that Xander had always played his emotions pretty close to the vest, so she didn't really expect anything to come of the rumors.

But then lightning had struck; Xander called her, called her specifically and asked that she drop everything and come to Africa to talk. To Buffy it didn't matter that he was asking her to ignore her new boyfriend, her Vatican liaison duties and everything else that was going on in her life; Xander had asked for her help, and she was on the next plane headed for Africa.

On the way she steeled herself. She had known Xander for ten years, and she could never recall him asking for help, not since the night of the Sisterhood at least. Certainly during his tenure in Africa, the African branch of the Council had been almost smugly self sufficient. So Buffy knew that it had to be unbelievably bad for him to be reaching out for help. But when she actually saw him at the Nairobi airport, Buffy knew that it was much worse than she'd ever imagined.

Xander was waiting for her at the arrivals gate, and if it wasn't for the eye patch, Buffy wasn't sure that she would have recognized him. He was gaunt, that was the first thing that came to Buffy's mind. It was as though every possible ounce of extra weight had been discarded. His muscles stood out in sharp relief under his skin. His face was thin and pinched which only served to make his hair seem even shaggier than it usually was. His body looked like it was slowly eating itself. But that was nothing to the devastation that Buffy saw in his eye. She was reminded of that line about dementors in the Harry Potter books, about how they made you feel like every good thing in your life was being taken away; that was how Xander looked. Sadly, Buffy knew that look from her own face, she knew it well. But then he saw her and his eye lit up. Buffy saw hope there and she knew that she could help, knew that she would do anything to help. Xander had been there so many times for her, and now it was her turn to be there for him. To regularly see that look in his eye, Buffy would pay any price.

They'd been in the car for five minutes and Xander hadn't shut up yet. He'd talked about the weather, the threat status in Africa and speculating about the current inactivity in Cleveland. He was getting ready to go on about the current status of all his slayers when Buffy managed to get a word in.

"Xander," she said quietly, "we're not gonna get any more isolated from prying slayer ears than right now." It wasn't a command, but it was a less than subtle reminder that he had asked her to come here. She then watched as he suddenly slumped in his seat, like he was no longer making the effort to appear normal.

"Buffy, I need to ask you something, but before I do; I need you to understand why I'm asking. So I need to tell you a story." He turned to look at her, his eye hard and intent. "Also, could you keep this conversation between us; the rumor mill is already bad enough."

"Sure Xander," Buffy answered quickly. "My lips are sealed and all that."

"OK then, I know you remember that place you told us about when you were in LA, that dimension where time moved differently."

"So that's it, you were in a hell dimension?"

"Nah, the time moved the same way. So even though I was only gone for a flash, it was over three years where I was. And it wasn't hell, just the opposite in fact. It was like living in a fairy tale. There were Centaurs and Mermaids, Dwarfs and Giants, talking animals and dancing trees. It was all I could do to keep from geeking out constantly while I was there. Now I first started out on this kinda lonely island called Fellimath, which was pretty dull, but it gave me about six months of quiet to think and process so that was alright. I was cool being hermit Xander, just spending the day fishing or making furniture or just watching the clouds because I was finally putting Sunnydale behind me when the world noticed me again and I saved this girl from some pirates."

"Wow, they had pirates there too."

"Yeah, but they were more like well armed hobos than Jack Sparrow clones. Sorry to burst your bubble," he added when he saw the dejected look on Buffy's face.

"That's okay, so you rescued the girl?"

"Yeah, her name was Lucy and she was the queen of one of the countries in that world. But what was cool was that she started out like me and had been brought to that world from ours. The problem was that she was brought from England in 1941."

Buffy winced internally; she could see the train wreck coming. "And you all fell in love," it was a statement rather than a question.

"Yeah," Xander answered, his eyes losing focus. He then told her everything. Every thought, every feeling, every event good and bad that had occurred in the time he and Lucy had been together. It was quite a story and when Xander finished his cheeks were wet with unconscious tears. "Then she's suddenly whooshed back to where and when she'd come from, just like that, I'm alone again."

"And you never got to say goodbye."

"No, and when I got back, I found out that she'd died in the fifties. So I couldn't even do the whole, old friend reminiscing thing or hey, remember me or anything like that. And that's what hurts the most, you know," he said, looking over at Buffy again. "I fall in love three times in my life, but I never get to tell the women I love, goodbye." He turned back to the road, his voice thick, "and that's why I asked to talk to you. I need to know how to get past this. I'm in mourning, for Lucy, for Anya and for Cordy and it just seems to hurt too much to go on. I'm stuck in grief mode and I just can't seem to move past it, so how did you do it? I mean after Angel and your mother, and being jerked out of Heaven; how did you go on living when all you wanted to do was curl up and lay there until you died?"

The pain in Xander's voice was almost unbearable, Buffy had never heard him this raw, this wounded, this vulnerable. She thought back to the worst times in her life and thought about how she had moved beyond the hurt only to realize the obvious answer. Quickly she dug into her purse, pulled out her phone and hit three on her speed dial. Xander was looking at her with both curiosity and a bit of hurt, but Buffy ignored him for the moment, she knew that he'd understand once he heard her half of the upcoming conversation. The other line picked up.

"Hey Will."

"….."

"Willow," Buffy finally said, obviously to get her friend to shut up. "That's great and all, but I need you to come to Africa."

"…"

"Yes, right now."

"…."

"I don't care; you need to come right now."

"….."

"Why, because Xander needs you."

"…."

Buffy turned to Xander, "how long til we get to Africa House?"

"Half an hour, maybe less," Xander replied, a bit confused.

"Half an hour Willow, we'll see you there." Buffy stowed her phone and turned back to Xander. "The way I got past all that was with my friends, Xander. I know you have to be all self sufficient and I know that part of the reason you feel that way is my fault; but there are times when you've got to let your friends help carry the load." She gave a half smile, "you taught me that."

"So what now," Xander asked.

"Now you get to show your two best friends all the best parts of Kenya, and you get to sleep in and watch bad movies and basically hang out. I won't lie and say that the grief ever goes away, but it does become bearable after a while. And eventually you'll remember the best parts without hurting and be able to realize how lucky you were to have known someone so remarkable."

"So you think that'll work?"

"Well if it doesn't, you could always try hate sex with Drusilla or someone else none of us can stand."

Xander smirked at his friend. "You're a cruel woman Summers."

Buffy's heart leapt when she saw that smile on her friends face, sad attempt though it was. The smile told her that he wasn't too far gone. "Don't you forget it," Buffy answered with a smirk of her own.

Xander was greeted by a red headed missile when they arrived at Africa House. He smiled as it took almost twenty minutes for Willow to wind down to the point that Xander could get a word in. That night the three friends watched bad horror movies late into the night and critiqued both the victims and the villains. They fell asleep in a puppy pile on the sofa, Khani smiled to herself when she found them in the morning, she knew that these two would get Xana well again. Buffy and Willow stayed with Xander for almost two months. If he had ever entertained doubts about their friendship, those were put to rest. And it wasn't just Buffy and Willow; Dawn, Faith and ever Giles came down for much briefer, but heartfelt visits. Being surrounded by that much caring was indeed helping Xander work through his pain. Having friends who would listen without judgment was making it easier for him to think about Lucy and the time they had together. Soon he was able to joke again, and mean it and way too soon for the girls taste, he was back to making bad puns at the drop of the hat and pulling practical jokes on them and the slayers at Africa House. He especially liked the one where iridescent blue dye somehow found its way into Buffy's shampoo. It was actually Willow's idea, but he took the heat for it. Soon it was clear that he was well on the road to being his old self, or a reasonable facsimile thereof. This meant that it was alright for Buffy and Willow to leave. In all honesty, the time in Africa had done almost as much for them as it had Xander; allowing them time to re-charge the batteries as it were as well as settling any lingering Sunnydale issues. When they went back to their respective postings, it was with the heartfelt thanks of Xander and all the girls at Africa house.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Little more than a year after his return, Lady Dalharn died. The doctors said that it was sudden and that she hadn't suffered. Many attended her funeral, all of the Slayers from Africa house were there and made sure that the affair was uninterrupted. Even a few of the Mutawah's were lurking in the area to pay their respects to the woman who had protected them. Xander read the eulogy, hoping that Lady Dalharn was finally reunited with her family. The surprise didn't come until three days later, at the reading of her will; she had left everything to Xander. He was quite honestly surprised, he certainly hadn't expected this but knew that he could put what he had received to good use. Some of Lady Dalharn's husband's relations were upset, claiming that Xander had taken emotional advantage of a lonely old woman. Legal action was threatened, but a visit from some of the Council's legal team silenced the threats very effectively. 'Sometimes,' Xander mused, 'it was good to be the 900 pound gorilla.' He honestly wasn't specifically sure about what to do with the estate and all the other properties that were now his, but he had some vague notions.

Also, there was something Aslan had said kept tickling his brain, causing Xander to run some tests. The results were surprising to say the least, but they did give him at least one direction to move in. He cleared his schedule and flew to England; he needed to talk to Giles.

Xander walked into the Head Watcher's office, and found Giles, not unsurprisingly, with his nose buried in a book. "Anything crucial there Giles?"

"No, Xander; just extremely fascinating. It's an account of a slayer in Central America; she may have singlehandedly caused the collapse of the Mayan empire."

"How'd she manage that?"

"Well, the Mayan pantheon was a rather eclectic collection of demons that had banded together and had the humans serving them. Since she wasn't from the Mayan culture, she wandered in and between her and her watcher, slew all of their gods. The Mayan's took this to mean that their civilization was over and they abandoned their cities and migrated north and west, eventually settling in what is now California."

"Well that's a bit extreme."

"Indeed," Giles responded; finally looking up. "It's good to see you looking well, Xander."

"Thanks Giles, I doing fine and everything is quiet in Africa; well as quiet as it ever gets."

"So I understand, since that is the case, I must wonder why you are here."

"It's kinda personal, and you're the only person I trusted with this."

Giles looked both flattered and intrigued, but remained silent so Xander continued. "You know that Lady Dalharn left me most of her estate, right?"

"Yes, I was made aware of that by our legal department."

"Not surprised. Anyway, I'm thinking about putting most of it in a trust."

"That sounds very reasonable, but I'm wondering who the beneficiary would be. Forgive my indelicacy, but I didn't think you had any family left."

"I do and I don't," Xander answered cryptically.

"I don't understand."

Xander sighed, "I have to tell you something, but I need you to keep this to yourself unless there's a dire reason for the information to get out, do you understand?"

"Of course Xander," Giles answered. "Anything you wish to remain confidential will remain so."

"Do you recall me talking about the version of the Powers that Be that I met in that other place?"

"Yes, Aslan I believe you called him, he appeared as a lion."

"Yeah, well we had a long talk and there was something he said that just wouldn't stay put in my head. He talked about how the creation of a soul was a function of our humanity and no magic could undo it once it had been made."

"Intriguing, but I fail to see the relevance of that bit of information."

"Where did Dawn come from?"

"I beg your pardon," Giles replied, shocked at the seeming change of subject.

"Where did she come from," Xander repeated. "We know that the monks made her into a teenage girl and placed her in Buffy's life, and we know that she has a soul. So where did it come from?"

"Oh dear," Giles muttered, quickly seeing where this was going.

"Exactly," Xander replied, grimly. "We knew that she was from a slayer or a slayer's line, but we had always assumed that she was somehow split off from Buffy. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that her soul simply couldn't have been split off, like a cutting from a shrub, no; somewhere along the line a child was conceived and then removed and turned into Dawn. From what I remembered there were four options; you and Joyce, Buffy and Parker, Buffy and Riley or . . . . . ."

"You and Faith," Giles concluded.

"Yeah," Xander murmured.

"And from what you've said, it is the last option that is the correct one."

"Yeah," Xander said again, but with a bit more enthusiasm. "It was still bugging me, even when I was being all mopey guy, so with everyone coming and going I kinda took the liberty of collecting a bit of DNA from everyone available. I wish I could say that the results were ambiguous, but they weren't."

"So technically, Dawn is the daughter of you and Faith." Giles sat back in his chair, almost wishing that what had been said in the previous minutes had never been uttered. He leaned forward again, "she is your beneficiary, is she not?"

"Yeah, I mean I've left a bit for everyone else, but she's the main beneficiary."

"Thank you for confiding in me Xander, but I must wonder why tell me in the first place?"

"Because if anything happens to me, then there needs to be someone with the information in case some kind of medical emergency or what not comes up."

"Don't you believe that Faith should know?"

"I honestly don't know. I mean Faith is doing well and everything, but you and I both know that because of her spectacularly bad childhood, she's got some major issues where being a parent is concerned. After all, that's why she and Robin split up. So I'm really torn about telling her. Part of me says tell her, but the other part says that I'd be upsetting her life, Dawn's life and Buffy's life. I'm not sure that the truth is worth that."

"I see your point," Giles reluctantly conceded. "I agree that it is a vexing dilemma. If talking would help, my door is always open and if you should decide to tell them, I will come with you."

"Thanks Giles."

"You are more than welcome, Xander. Now do you have any other issues to drop onto my lap while you are here?"

"Nah, I just want to run my will and the trust and everything past the legal department but otherwise I'm taking a week just to hang out and visit Lucy's grave."

"Excellent," Giles responded with a smile. "I'll accompany you if you wish, otherwise I'm sure I'll be tired of you long before you leave."

Xander smirked at his boss, "thanks Giles, I love you too."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Time moves forward, despite how we try to hold it still or force it back; and with time's march comes change. Some changes are large; wars, revolution or Buffy actually passing her driver's exam. Others are not so large but significant, like Willow marrying Oz after they had re-united in Istanbul of all places. Africa tends to scoff at change, many things on the Dark Continent remaining essentially unchanged for thousands of years. But even to such places as this, the inexorable hand of change is felt. At Africa house, Xander Harris was still in charge and Khani was still the Head Slayer for the continent; but many slayers had passed through Africa house on their way to whatever destiny had in store for them. To a girl; though, they had all called Xander, 'Xana'. Xander believed that this was simply an example of kharma hosing him for all the crap he had dished out to Giles and other authority figures over the years.

It started slowly, just a single throwaway line in a situational report; a rumor of unusual activity in southern Algeria. Notes were made but quickly forgotten in light of more dramatic issues. The next month, though; there were notes on odd migrations, reports of increased activity in the Sahara and odd silences from previously reliable allies. Xander personally looked into the matter and found distressingly little hard evidence. Finally he talked to the head of the Mutawah clan, a being that owed him many favors and was told only one word, "Swarm". It was a word that required a ton of negotiations to get. Once he had that answer, Xander immediately sent everything he had to Giles; hoping that the researchers could make more out of it than he could. They could.

It seemed that every few thousand years, all of the Polgara demons; usually a very isolated species, came together, mostly for breeding purposes and then scattered back to where they'd come from. Unfortunately for wherever this occurred, the thousands of frenzied demons were rather a problem for whatever or whoever found themselves in their path. Plans to exterminate the coming swarm were made. Surprisingly, Xander found himself ambiguous at the thought of the whole enterprise. Success for the Council would mean virtual extermination of Polgara demons on earth. Xander was all for keeping the nasties under control, genocide was something else entirely. The problem was that little was known about Polgara demons; they tended to be reclusive and solitary. The Council had gotten some information from Riley, he had helped capture one as part of the Initiative; but they were far from having a complete picture despite the centuries of research that the Council had acquired.

Never the less, Xander committed himself fully to the plans, but for himself; he chose to simply help guard the medical areas. This announcement took Willow, Buffy and many others by surprise; they had been prepared to resort to some rather low tactics to keep their friend out of the mayhem. To have him do so voluntarily was unprecedented. A couple of conversations and a quiet spell or two convinced them; though, that Xander was in his right mind, as much as he ever was; and uninfluenced by any magic. He had told his friends that he would do his duty, but that the actions of the Council just felt wrong in this case. Surprisingly, Buffy agreed with him, but told him that sometimes you simply had to do whatever sucked the least.

It was an unusual operation for the Council in that conventional arms were to be used in addition to the slayer's traditional arsenal. Polgara's could be killed by massive trauma, it didn't really matter what was inflicting the trauma. These conventional weapons were provided by elements of the British armed forces. Due to the location of the headquarters of the council, the agreements covering their use had been in place for centuries. The first hint that the Polgara's had that something was amiss was when bombs, both explosive and napalm types, decimated their swarm. Thousands of Polgara's were exterminated in a matter of seconds. Next came Armored Personnel Carriers manned by members of the British Army, they cut through the demons with their heavy guns and mounted infantry. These tactics were good enough to cut down the size of the swarm considerably and to break up the remaining demons into manageable sections, and that's where the slayers came in.

A large group of demons were a doable target for conventional weapons. But once it got close and the demon's greater strength and agility became a factor, a single Polgara could take out an APC and slaughter everyone inside. Xander followed the events of the opperation on his radio, and soon enough casualties started coming in. Again, the Council was utilizing elements of the British army as their medics; the doctors had been briefed on what a slayer was and special considerations that had to be taken into account when treating one. At first it had been soldiers that were brought in, accidental casualties that always occurred in the chaos of battle. But all too soon it was young women and their watcher's who were brought in by ones and twos, stabs and slashes all over their bodies. Most were saved; some were not; again, fortunes of war. Xander left Khani to keep watch as he spent time with the wounded, giving what comfort he could. He knew many of these girls, too many actually. It was the one thing that he'd never gotten used to; for Xander, each loss hurt as much as the loss of Kendra had back when they were plucky heroes and not battle hardened generals.

Khani saw the group approaching from a great distance, her slayer's eyes picking out the movement. There were a lot of them, and they were coming directly towards the medical station. Khani could also see that they were panicked, the demons were fleeing in the most direct route possible and would kill anything that tried to get in their way or slow them down. She turned quickly and yelled out, "Xana, you are needed."

Soon Xander was standing next to his slayer and he groaned when he saw what she wanted him to. Xander had always thought that he was a magnet for female demons, but the group approaching now seemed intent on proving that wrong. Xander had no idea how such a large group had managed to get through to the rear areas, but there they were. All told there were around forty very desperate demons headed their way. Xander knew the deployments, knew where everyone was, after all; he had helped plan everything. He knew that there wasn't any help nearby.

The only thing between the demons and the Aid Station were Khani and himself. That wasn't good. His mind flashed to the lyrics of an old country song, "if it weren't for bad luck, he'd have no luck at all", in this case it was too damned accurate. "Major," he yelled out without taking his eye off of the approaching demons. It was just the two of them with their SA80's and a couple of spare mags each. There was no way that they would be able to stop forty demons with so little ammunition, so eventually it was gonna be hand to hand, and that really wasn't good.

"Yes Mr. Harris," the British Major in charge of the medical station called out as he came running up.

"We're gonna have some visitors soon, so you need to get on the radio and start screaming for help and once that's done, arm anyone that can hold a weapon in case any of em get by us. Ya got that Major?"

"Indeed Mr. Harris," the Major answered as he looked through a borrowed pair of binoculars, paled and then bolted.

Xander looked over to Khani, the girl was his daughter for all intents and purposes. He would have spared her this if he could, but there was no way that only one person could stop what was coming. Khani looked back at him, and Xander knew that she was thinking the exact same thing. The young girl shot him a feral smile and grunted out, "today is a good day to die," in Klingon.

Xander couldn't help but laugh as his inner geek did a little victory dance, it was indeed a good day to die and he'd be doing it with someone he loved. As far as Xander was concerned, there was no better way to go. With an answering smile he raised his rifle and the pair of them went to war. They did remarkably well considering the distance they were shooting from but remarkably well still didn't translate into enough kills to either stop or turn the group of demons and so, as both rifles locked open, there were over twenty demons still heading at Xander and Khani. Without hesitation, she pulled a pair of short swords and he pulled out his axe and the few charged the many.

Xander was amazed that they weren't immediately slaughtered; maybe the fact that two of them ran at rather than away from the demons has something to do with it. After all, even demons try and avoid messing with the insane. But once the first four fell, the demons seemed to get the idea well enough.

The attackers had a pretty good system going, Xander cut high and Khani went low, and Xander made sure that Khani was always on his left. The two were actually making a dent in the group when the inevitable occurred. Surprisingly it wasn't in his blind side but rather his right. The fact that Xander could see the strike coming all the way didn't help at all, he cut the things arms off, but only after it managed to skewer him through the side. Then for some reason, even thought he skewer was in his side, his legs just decided not to work and he sank to the ground. With a scream of pain and gout of blood, Xander pulled the demon part out of himself. His vision wavered and he hurt like hell, but otherwise he felt alright.

Suddenly there was a hand grabbing the collar of his shirt and Xander felt himself being jerked to his feet. Bringing his axe around and ignoring the gaping hole in his side, Xander went back to trying to stay alive as long as possible. He felt like he was holding his own, and things even seemed a little lighter than they should have. He dispatched his current opponent and risked a look over at Khani. It was immediately clear why things had seemed a light for him; it was because most of the demons were concentrating on the slayer rather than the human. As Xander watched, three skewers seemed to erupt from the girl at various points on her body. Time seemed to stop as Xander watched Khani's eyes start to glaze over even as her lips were moving to say "Xana" one last time. After that, all Xander saw was red.

Major Henry McAdams had screamed for help at several of the buggers in charge of this mess and then scrounged some rifles and clips from what the wounded had brought in; there were only three SA80's but it was better than nothing. Carrying one; two orderlies who could be spared were carrying the others, he ran back to where the fighting was. He was just in time to see the girl fall.

Henry McAdams had served for almost twenty years as a medical officer with the Royal Anglian Regiment; and like most military men, he was something of an amateur historian. He had read tales of what it was like to face berserkers in battle and he had always discounted it. The notion that a single man could cause a large group of soldiers to flee the battle was ludicrous. To say nothing of shrugging off near fatal wounds while lost in a frenzy of killing. Major McAdams wrote it off as hyperbole and thought no more on it. That is, until he saw a true berserker. When the girl fell, Major McAdams was convinced that the man would soon follow. Instead what followed gave him nightmares for a year and caused the two orderlies; both of whom had served in field hospitals, to lose their lunch. With a scream like he imagined only the damned would make, he saw the one eyed man tear into the remaining demons. There were times when it was almost impossible to see what was happening because of the spurting blood and flying body parts. Major McAdams couldn't be sure if there were nine or ten demons still standing when the girl fell but less than a minute later, there were none. In that time he had seen Mr. Harris suffer no less than three additional wounds to the one that he already had in his side, but none of them seemed to slow him in the least. Only when the last one fell in a cascade of blood and entrails did Mr. Harris stop. Even as the Major lowered his weapon and was running onto the field to see if he could keep the remarkable man alive, he saw him crawl over to the girl's remains, close her eyes and mutter some words. Then he just collapsed and by the time Major McAdams got there, he was dead.

Giles was one of the last to arrive, since he was overseeing the whole operation. There were many elements to the plan and he had to make sure that everything was taken care of. When he finally got out of his land rover, the gloom in the atmosphere was palpable and everywhere he looked there were girls and young women crying or holding one another. Giles knew that in the center of all that he would find Buffy, Willow, Dawn and Faith and most of Africa house. As much as they might need him right now, Giles wanted to find out exactly what had happened. He asked a passing nurse where the senior officer was, and she directed him to Major McAdams. Giles found the man sitting on a camp stool in the process of getting drunk.

"Major, I'd like to thank you and your staff for all that you've done."

"Yer welcome," the man slurred. "I hate workin on kids, but those little girls are something else."

"Indeed they are," Giles replied, then indicated the scene. "Could you tell me what happened?"

"Bunch of those ugly things was comin at us and that bloke told me to call for help and gear up anyone who could fight. I thought he was gonna wait for us but by the time I got all that done he and the girl were in the thick of it, so we couldn't shoot. She went down just as we got here and I thought we were done for, but he just went spare and just killed every last one of the damned things. I couldn't believe it even when I was standin there watchin it, it was like he refused to die until all them things was dead. He collapsed and by the time I got there, he was just gone," the man then took a long pull on his flask.

"Thank you Major," Giles said, turning away and leaving the man to his drink.

"He saved us all you know," the Major said quietly. "If it weren't for him and the girl then damned near every one of us would be dead."

"Major, if you had known Xander Harris," Giles replied; "you wouldn't have expected anything less." He then went to find Buffy and the others; Giles just hoped that the group, indeed the Council, would survive the loss of its heart.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

It wasn't an unusual occurrence, not anymore. For numerous reasons, many of the former residents of Sunnydale wanted to have their ashes scattered in the crater that used to be their home town. Xander had just wanted to be close to Anya, Joyce, Jenny, Jesse, Kendra and all the others that had been lost over the years. That there were only five people in attendance belied the impact that the man had made on the world. In every slayer house around the world, this was a day of mourning. Many of the slayers had exercised their grief on the local demon populations, spreading the pain as it were. Dawn knew that there were tributes and memorials planned despite the fact that Xander would have been appalled at all the fuss.

The reading of Xander's will had been yesterday, and Dawn was still getting over the shock. Xander had made her his heir and the beneficiary of most of his property. He had also included a letter to her, and to Dawn; this was more important than all the money and the property combined. In it, Xander had asked her to take his place as the heart of the group. No one, he had insisted, was better qualified for the spot. And the group needed a heart; the last few days had borne that out. Dawn had agreed to take up that burden and now she stood there between Buffy and Willow, holding the two of them, as they all listened as Giles read a passage from a book that he thought was appropriate even as Faith was scattering the ashes. "Goodbye Xander," Dawn muttered even as she vowed that she would do her best for them all; she owed Xander that at the very least.


	9. Cursum Perficio

CURSUM PERFICIO

Xander knew something was off when he woke up, but it took him a while to place it. This was understandable considering he had woken up in the middle of a grassy field on a warm summer day. He tried to remember how he had gotten there, but the circuits just weren't sparking. He looked around, maybe recognizing where he was would help, but there were no reminders; nothing that sparked a memory. It was then that he realized that he seemed to be about seventeen years old and that he was seeing out of both eyes. To say he was freaked was an understatement of cataclysmic proportions. Completely stunned, he plopped back down into the grass and tried thinking. He was enough of a comic book geek to realize that there weren't a lot of options that explained what was going on.

There was the whole transport to a different reality or that kind of thing. But that wouldn't explain his second eye or his amnesia. After all, when he went to Narnia his body had stayed the same, no new eyes or de-aging.

There was the possibility of some kind or rogue scientist experimenting on him. That would explain the amnesia and the eye, but it wouldn't explain waking up in a field in the middle of nowhere. Maggie Walsh, the only true mad scientist that he had known, had kept all of her creations and modifications on a tight leash. Xander figured any other mad scientist would do the same.

There was the possibility that he'd just gone insane and all of this was some sort of phenomenally complicated hallucination, kind of like what Buffy had gone through when that creepy demon stuck her during the whole 'Nerds of Doom' situation. There was no real way to prove or disprove this one, so Xander just ignored it.

And finally, there was the possibility that he was dead and that this was heaven. But then he would have expected to see Anya and Tara, Joyce and Jesse; not somewhere that looked like part of the set for the 'Sound of Music'. While he was sitting, trying to work out what the heck was going on, his stomach rumbled, reminding him that he was hungry. This kind of argued against the 'being in Heaven' theory because Xander could not imagine being hungry in Heaven.

Standing up, Xander was surprised to find some apple trees right at hand. Picking one, he started eating it as he wandered off in no particular direction. It was then that he noticed something else; it seemed as though he was being pulled in a particular direction. It wasn't overt or anything, everything just seemed more right when he headed; here he looked around, North. For some reason north felt right. So he started wandering in that general direction, feeling no need to hurry or even to find a weapon of some sort. Xander realized there were other people or things in the woods around him; he just was indifferent to that fact.

He was walking on, eating whatever came to hand when he ran across the strangest thing. In a clearing was a door, just a door. It was standing there alone, there were no walls or foundations or anything that would suggest a structure had been there. As he walked around to the other side, he found something even stranger; a group of dwarfs were sitting there covered in food. As he stood there listening to what they were saying, it was clear that their perception of what was going on and where they were, was completely different from what he was experiencing.

To Xander, this gave credence to the 'I'm dead' option, because he couldn't imagine hallucinating something like what he was seeing; despite the hungry argument against this being Heaven. Shrugging, he turned and kept heading north. Xander just kept walking, he wasn't sure if time was passing or not, and ultimately he didn't care. The further north he went, the more compelled he felt to keep going in that direction. He had finally started to see other people, and other things; but he was never close enough to find out if they were talking animals or not. Ultimately he came to a hill, well it looked like a hill even though it was higher than most of the mountains that Xander had ever encountered. He called it a hill because it was covered in grass to the very top and there were trees and shrubs all the way up. Steadily he climbed. When he was about half way up, he turned and looked out over the country. From this perspective he finally realized where he was. There was Mount Pire and the River Schribble and far away, the pass into Archenland. He was in Narnia, or at least a version of Narnia. If this was Narnia, then there was the possibility that Lucy was here. He turned back and resumed his climb, hope filling his heart. He got to the top and was confronted by an enormous hedge, a hedge with a gate in it; a gate with an enormous garden behind it.

Xander was walking towards the gate when he was stopped by a voice calling out, "be welcome in the Lion's name".

Xander looked around and at first he didn't see the source of the voice, but he finally looked down and there was a mouse standing there; a mouse with a circlet on his head and a rapier at his hip. Remembering his Narnia manners, Xander went down on one knee and asked, "Whom do I have the honor of addressing?"

"I am Reepicheep, and I bid you welcome in the Lion's name."

"I have heard tales of you, Sir Reepicheep. Queen Susan told me that you were the most valiant knight that she had ever known. It is an honor to meet you."

"You are not unknown either Sir Alex, the first of the Narnian Masters at Arms. I would trade tales with you when time is convenient. However, there is someone waiting to meet you and one should never keep a Lady waiting."

"No, you shouldn't," Xander said breathlessly. He stood up and went deeper into the garden. Xander probably would have thought the place preternaturally lovely, if he had actually been paying attention. But all of his focus was on searching for one thing. Suddenly he saw a flash of blond hair through some leaves and he hurried forward. Unexpectedly, he was in a clear space. She was in front of him, sitting on the lip of a stone well talking with three others. It was Lucy, looking just as beautiful as she ever had. Xander froze there, just watching her; he could not recall anything so lovely. It was only after a few minutes, or hours, he wasn't quite sure; when he noticed the women/girls with her. It was tough to tell their ages; they were like him, at times a teenager at times older; like their ages were constantly shifting. Xander recognized Susan as the one who was standing and laughing at the moment; but what floored him were the identities of the other two. One was Cordelia and the other was Anya. When he saw them all of the love that he had felt for them washed through him, and though it was powerful, it wasn't as strong as what he felt for Lucy. He was reveling in the feeling of finding his love when she looked up. Their eyes locked and before he could even move his arms were filled with and ecstatic blond. Their lips met and for a small eternity their surrounding, as magnificent as they were, melted away and it was only the two of them. They finally pulled apart, seemingly by mutual accord and Xander smiled down at the girl in his arms, "I missed you," he murmured.

"And I you," she murmured back.

"Sorry you had to wait," he said.

"I'm not," Lucy replied with a grin. "It gave me a chance to hear some Xander stories." She indicated the three smiling ladies and they all burst into laughter.

Xander just hung his head with a grin; even in the afterlife he was Murphy's whipping boy.

Xander had talked with the three women for some time, old regrets being aired and dealt with on everyone's part. Then, with Lucy in tow, he sought out Jesse, Joyce and Jenny Calendar. Afterwards they talked to Peter and Edmund, and Xander got to meet Tumnus and the Beavers. He could never be sure how long this all took because time seemed to not mean a lot where they were, but since he was with Lucy, he was sure that this was Heaven. They were lying on their backs in a field, just watching the clouds scud by when Lucy said something unusual. "Do you know what my only regret is?"

"Well, I really wasn't aware that you had any or I would have asked," Xander replied. "So what is your regret?"

"That I didn't get to have a full life with you, have children and grow old with you. I would have liked that."

"Why don't we?"

"You can't have children here, and time doesn't really pass so you can't grow old together."

"True, but you could if we left."

"What?" Lucy exclaimed, sitting up. "Did you say we should leave here?"

"No," Xander replied, sitting up as well. "But I can't believe that you're the first person to feel that way, so I'd have to think there's some way we could go back. We would both be born into the same world, that kind of thing. There we could meet and fall in love like before, but we'd have the chance to do everything you wanted, grow old, have children, the works."

"But what if we never met each other?"

"What if we didn't, this place is eternity Luce. When we die again, where do you think we'd end up; and do you honestly think we wouldn't find each other here, even if we didn't find each other there?"

"I really hadn't thought of it like that." She looked at Xander, "do you really believe we'd find each other again?"

"I have no doubt. Seriously, do you think the love we have is just your garden variety love. I don't know how I know this, but what we have is something deeper. My guess is that we'd find each other even if we didn't want to, our souls would call out to each other."

"Then what are we waiting for," Lucy said with a smile and stood, pulling Xander up with her. Hand in hand they walked to the garden's entrance; neither were surprised to find Aslan there.

"Is this what you want, young ones?"

"Yes Aslan," they both replied. The Lion said nothing but walked behind them. Xander turned and pulled Lucy into a kiss and as he did, the world faded.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Lady Liln looked out her window, her mind on only one thing. Liln didn't know why she couldn't take her mind off of Olvin, she'd only seen the man twice after all, but somehow he dominated her thoughts. The first time was a year ago, when he'd come to a tournament sponsored by her father, Baron Snyder. Neither the Baron, nor Lady Gwendylon, his wife; had cared for the young adventurer despite the prowess he displayed on the field of honor. But Liln had been smitten. He had left, but in leaving had begged a token of hers that he might carry the memory of her always. Many had asked before, Liln being such a great beauty; but until now, none had won her favor. Now Olvin had Liln's favorite veil tied around his left wrist. Liln had put it there so that it would help guard him, as the left was Olvin's shield arm. In thanks, Olvin had left her a book, one that was full of tales of valor and bravery. It was Liln's most prized possession.

Olvin had returned a year after he left and had asked for her hand from her father, the Baron. Liln would have said yes immediately if she could but it was not up to her and the Baron and his Lady did not like the man. The Baron knew that he could not outright refuse the offer from so renowned a knight, but there was a way that he could be rid of the troublesome lad. With a wicked gleam, he had told Olvin that in order to win his daughter's hand, he must slay the two headed giant, Pire. This giant was wicked and had been terrorizing the countryside for years, Baron Snyder was sure that it would easily slay the young man. But Olvin had agreed without hesitation and with only a bow to Liln, had leapt upon his charger and thundered away to do the task he had been given. Liln had no doubt that fair Olvin would succeed and was now just daydreaming until he returned for her and then they would grow old together.

THE END

A/N The idea for going back and having another life was from the film "What Dreams May Come". The story of Liln and Olvin is mentioned in "The Horse and His Boy".


End file.
